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GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS, 



DURING A 



VOYAGE AND VISIT 



TO 



LONDON AND THE GREAT EXHIBITION, 



IN THE SUMMER OF 1851. 



BY WILLIAM A.^ MEW, 

COMMISSIONEK OF THE 8 T AT E O I" M A I N E. 



" August and glorious city! Thy renown 

Fills with heroic deeds of high emprise 

The lengthened records of the stream of Time. 



AUGUSTA : 
HOMAN & MANLEY 

BOSTON : ABEL TOMPKINS. 

1852. 






Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1852, 
By HOMAN & MANLEY, 
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Maine. 




I 4- Je, H-fo 



BAZIN AND CHANDLER, PRINTERS, 
37 Cornhill, Boston. 



■S^ 



^ 






PREFACE 



In the original preparation of the following Letters, the writer had 
no design of making a book of them ; consequently, they may not have 
that relation to each other, which would be expected of consecutive 
chapters. They were written ofF-hand, during the author's Voyage and 
Visit to England, as editorial communications to his paper. The Gos- 
pel Banner, for the weekly gratification of his numerous readers and 
friends. As each new one was prepared, the contents of the last des- 
patch were not always well remembered ; and this circumstance will 
account for some repetitions which may, perhaps, appear in the work. 
They are revised and published, with the addition of a large share of 
new matter, in compliance, it is believed, with an extensive call for 
them in the shape of a book. 

Another thing : — Though the author went out as a Commissioner of 
the State to " the Great Exhibition of the "Works of Industry of all 
Nations " in London, his communications home were made, not so 
much in his ofiicial, as in his professional character — not as formal Re- 
ports to the Government, but as familiar epistles to his patrons. This 
will account for the free and unstudied style of the composition, and also 
for the fact, that the more systematic and labored results of his mission, 
bearing upon the Industrial Interests of the State, have but an incidental 
place in the present volume . 



IV PREFACE. 

His commission, though it was not intended to accredit him officially 
to the British Government, gave him access to some desirable sources 
of information and pleasure, which he could not otherwise have com- 
manded. At the rooms, in the Adelphi, of the Royal Commissioners, 
who conducted the Exhibition, and of which Board Prince Albert was 
Chairman, he enjoyed more or less intercourse with those and other in- 
telligent gentlemen from different nations ; and it was from them, and 
the facilities furnished at those rooms, that he was able to collect not 
a few of the facts which the readers now have in the pages before them. 
Prince Albert was the projector and chief patron of that World's Con- 
gress of Industry and of Peace, and to his patriotic love for the Broth- 
erhood of Man, will the Nations of our common earth always be in- 
debted for all the influences it may exercise upon the Arts, Commerce, 
and Peace of the World. 

The author would do injustice to himself and to others, if he did not 
take, as he gladly does, this opportunity to tender his very sincere 
thanks to those kind friends, who contributed so materially to the means 
by which he was enabled to perform his distant journey, and accomplish 
the objects of his mission. Upon them, upon all his patrons, and upon 
the reader now, he invokes, for time and eternity, the best blessings of 
Almighty God. w. a. d, 

Augusta, Me., May I, 1851, 



CONTENTS 



LETTER I. 

A FORTUNATE CHANGE OF DlEECTION, _ - - - - 13 

A super-directing Providence — Passage to Boston — Necessity of chang- 
ing the Route — Ride to Vermont — Notes by the Way — Description of 
Bellows Falls. 



LETTER II. 

Journey to Montreal, ------ --21 

Montreal — Situation and size of the city — Railway ride amongst the 
Green Mountains — Embarkation on Lake Champlain — Delightful 
Scenery— Richilieu River — St. John's — First sight of the St. Law- 
rence — ^Arrival in Montreal. 

LETTER III. 

Description of Montreal, ---.-.-28 

Structure of Montreal — Notre Dame St. Church — The Scotch Kirk — 
New Cathedral — An argument for the Real Presence — Temperance 
House — College — Nunneries— Streets and Edifices — View from the 
Mountain. 

LETTER IV. 

Descriptjon of Quebec, -.-..-.-39 

Where Montgomery Fell— The Citadel— Plains of Abraham— Lower 
Town— Walls of the City— Where Wolfe Fell— Scotch Highlanders- 
Artillery Regiment — Streets and Edifices — Fires and Plague — Naviga- 
tion and Ship-building — Account of Montgomery's death. 



VI CONTENTS. 



LETTER V 



A View trom the Cabin Window, .-__-. 61 

Ship " New England " — Great Timber Boom — Scenery on Shore — Point 
Levi — View of the Cty — Falls of Montmorenci — Battle on the Plains 
— Wolfe's Stratagem — Orl<^ ans Island — Launch and Wreck — Parlia- 
ment House, &c., — Canadian Market — Women' — Agricultural Capa- 
cities. 



LETTER VI. 

A Strange Celebration of the Sabbath, - - - - 62 

Corpus Christi Day — Streets Decorated — Grand Procession — The Real 
Body — Rival Chimes — French Cathedral — Pomp and Ceremony — 
Episcopal Church — Sabbath Quietness — Feast of God on Point Levi — 
Catholic Signs. 



LETTER VII. 

Matters about Canada, Quebec and the Ship, - - - 72 

Unwonted rest — Maine Convention — New France and New England — 
Battle of Abraham's Plains — Ladies of Quebec — Sir James Stuart — 
Montcalm's Monument — Shipping in Quebec. 



LETTER VIII. 

Quebec and its Environs, -------80 

Ship's Moorings— Orleans Island — Plains and Falls of Montmorenci — 
Trojan Heroes — St. Charles River — Charlebourg — Point Levi — Walls 
of Quebec — Business of the St. Lawrence — Historical Reminiscences. 



LETTER IX. 

Lower Valley of the St. Lawrence. 97 

The Longest Navigable River in the World — Grand Scenery — Evi- 
dences of Cultivation and Comfort — Revenues of the Catholic Church 
• — Sailing from Quebec — Shores of the River, and distant Mountain 
Scenery — Mouth and Gulf of St. Lawrence. 



LETTER X. 

Life on the Ocean Wave," 108 

No longer on the Earth — Old Neptune's Crystal Palace — Parting with 
the Pilot — Anticosti Island — Newfoundland — Pleasures of a Sailing 
Excursion in a Gale. 



CONTENTS. vii 



LETTER XI. 

Jottings on the Ocean, -..-_... 12I 

A Sabbath at Sea — A Gale — A Calm — Another Ocean Sabbath — A 
Wreck — First Glimpses of Europe — Parallels of Climate — Sunset at 
Sea — Land, ho I — Plymouth and Eddystone Lighthouse — France — Isle 
of "Wight — The Thames — Arrival in London. 



LETTER XII. 

London seen from the Dome of St. Paul's, - . - . 137 

Immense size of London— Extent of its Parks — St. Paul's Cathedral — 
View of London — Shape of the Thames — Various Public Edifices and 
Places of Historical Interest. 



LETTER XIII. 

Mr. Lawrence — St. James' Park and Buckingham Palace, - 152 

Mr. Lawrence's Residence — Introduction to him — St. James* Park — 
Buckingham Palace — The Queen's Public Promenade — Her Majesty's 
Character — Prince Albert — The Royal Garden. 



LETTER XIV. 

First Sabbath in London — Forenoon, 160 

Find the Text — Visit to a London Female Penitentiary — Sabbath Ser- 
vices — The Congregation — The Graduates — Charities of London. 



LETTER XV. 

First Sabbath in London — Evening, - - . . . I67 

Field Lane Ragged School — Gehenna of London — School-Room — Con- 
versation with the Pupils — A Hideous Female — Miss Portal, the Ben- 
efactress. 



LETTER XVI. 

Tower of London and British Museum, - . . . 177 

Roads and Streets of London — Visit to the Tower — Notieeof its Objects 
of Interest — British Museum — Elgin Marbles — Ruins of Nineveh — 
Grecian and Roman Antiquities — Zoological Collections, &c. 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

LETTER XVII. 

Somerset Palace and Westminster Abbey, _ - - 185 

Somerset Palace, the Residence of Old Kings— Westminster Abbey — 
Enlarged by Henry III.— Chapel of Henry VII.— xissembly of Di- 
vines— Biu-yLng Grounds — Names of American Ancestors. 

LETTER XVIII. 

Approaching the Crystal Palace, . - - -^ - 194 

London itself a Grand Fair — Array of Police — Brief Description of the 
Crystal Palace — The American Department — Hyde Park. 



LETTER XIX. 

Visit to Parliament, -., 202 

Constitution of the British Government — Parliament House — Descrip- 
tion of the House of Lords — Appearance of the Peers — Speakers — 
Duke of Wellington, &c. 



LETTER XX. 

Visit to Windsor Castle, 214 

Ride to Windsor — Location of the Castle — Entrance — Description of 
the Interior — View from the top — Royal Mews — Eton College — The 
Parks. &c. 



LETTER XXI. 

The Queen Proroguing Parliament, 231 

First Sight of Her Majesty — People in the Park — The Procession — Ap- 
pearance of the Queen and Prince Albert — The Royal Speech — Pop- 
ularity of Victoria. 



LETTER XXII. 

The Thames Tunnel, 242 

Bridges across the Thames — Necessity of a Thoroughfare beneath it — 
Sir I. Brunei's Project — Opei-ation of the Shield — Descent into* the 
Shaft — Arches of the Tunnel — Number of Visitors. 



CONTENTS. IX 



LETTER XXIII. 



Second Sunday in London, - . - _ . . 250 

First Indeperdent Church in the World — Quiet of London on Sunday — 
Chapel on Union Street — Interview with Mr. Waddington — Bunhill 
Fields Bxirying Ground — Inscriptions. 



LETTER XXIV. 

The Chiswick Gardens, --- 265 

Duke of Devonshire's Estates at Chatsworth and Chiswick — Horticul- 
tural Society — Its History and Operations — Description of the Gardens 
— Exhibitions — Great Estates in England. 



LETTER XXV. 

A Stroll about London, .---.._ 274 

Blackwall Railway — The American Minister — A saunter through 
Queen's Way — Refreshment Garden — Hyde Park and first view of 
Crystal Palace — Smithfield Faggots — St. Bartholomew's Church — 
Burning of John Rogers. 



LETTER XXVI. 

Another Stroll about London, 284 

Inns of Court — Splendid Stores in Holborn — Trade in Manuscript Ser- 
mons — Old Bailey and Newgate — General Post Office — Bank of Eng- 
land — Royal Exchange. 



LETTER XXVII. 

Regent's Park, 296 

Location of the Park— Villas and Terraces — Interview with a Policeman 
— Royal Botanic Gardens — Conservatory — Lily House— Zoological 
Gardens. 



LETTER XXVIII. 

A Sabbath amongst the Jews, 303 

St. Mary's Axe — The Jews in London — Snyagogues in the City — Interior 
of the New Synagogue — Hebrew Services. 



CONTENTS. 



LETTER XXIX. 



A Sunday in Pursuit of Christians, 312 

Finsbury Square— Mr. Fox— Search for Dr. Watts' Church— Bishop's 
Gate Street Church— St. Botolph's Church. 



LETTER XXX. 

The Great Exhibition, 316 

Crossing Hyde Park — Objects outside the Palace — Description of the 
Interior — The American Department — Commissioners — Number of 
Contributors — Premiums on articles from America. 



LETTER XXXI. 

"Walks in the Crystal Palace, 327 

Eastern Nave — American Bridge — Inscription — American Statuary — 
Newspaper Trophy — Objects of American Skill — Koh-i-noor Diamond 
Tall Trees — View from the Transept Gallery — Arrival of the Queen. 



LETTER XXXII. 

Walks in the Crystal Palace, 339 

Western Nave — Venus and Cupid — Timber Trophy — Rogers' Cutlery — 
Light House — Russia Bridge — Liverpool Docks — Yard at the East 
End. 



LETTER XXXIII. 

Walks in the Crystal Palace, 345 

Saloons of the S. W. — English Agricultural Implements — ^Velvet and 
Paper Hangings — NeedleMaking — Papier Mache — Alarm Bedstead — 
English Ladies Shoes and Dresses. 



LETTER XXXIV. 

Walks in the Crystal Pai ce, 351 

Furniture Rooms — Portable Pulpit— New Room Paper and Cloth — A 
Druidical Chair — Devotional Chair — Manufacturing Rooms — Cotton 
Gin — Mnles — Curvilinear Sawing. 



CONTENTS. 



LETTER XXXV 



Walks in the Crystal Palace, 357 

Articles exhibited showing the connections of freedom or servility with 
different Nations — Fossils — China Clay — Silver Ore. 



LETTER XXXVI. 



Walks in the Crystal Palace, 



Naval Department — Sailing Vessel with Screw Propeller — Yachts — 
Bell-Buoy — Dead Reckoning — Cook's Quadrant — Models. 



LETTER XXXVII. 

Walks in thb Crystal Palace, 366 

The American Department — Wayne Scythes — Shoe Pegs — Cars — Pro- 
ducts of Ohio — Carriages — Breadstuffs — Daguerreotypes — South Caro- 
lina — California — Philadelphia — New Hampshire — New York — Vir- 
ginia — Michigan — Massachusetts. 



LETTER XXXVIII. 

Walks in the Crysta.l Palace, ..-.-. 372 
The Queen in the Palace— Statuary — The Galleries — Voting Machine 
—German Toys — A Carpet for the Queen — Duke of Northumber- 
land's Reward. 



LETTER XXXIX. 
A Scene near the Crystal Palace, ----- 331 

View of the Lake — A Miniature Man-of-War — The Queen and Prince 
of Wales — Embarkation and Sail. 



LETTER XL. 

Old Brentford and the Kew Gardens, - . - - 386 

Kew, the Residence of George III. — Ride to Brentford— Great Nur- 
series — The Royal Mansion — Kew Green — King of Hanover and his 
Brother — The Manor — Lodges — Gardens — Return to London. 



XU CONTENTS. 



LETTER XL I 



Hide from London to Liverpool, 



Leaving London — Fertility of the Country — Heavy Crops — Appearance 
of the Fields — Mansions, Castles, Parks and' Hunting Grounds — 
Arrival in Liverpool. 



LETTER XLII. 

Liverpool, 395 

A passage engaged — Liverpool compared with London — Docks — Nel- 
son's Monument — Commerce and Revenue — Beggary and Filth — Mrs. 
Hemans. 



LETTER XLIIL 
A Storm at Sea, 400 



GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS 



LETTER I. 

A FORTUNATE CHANGE OF DIRECTION. 

A Super-directing Providence — Passage in the "Ocean," on the Ocean, to 
Boston — A thief at the Berth — Failure of the Peace-Ship Nightin- 
gale — Necessity of changing the Route — Must see Canada before Eng- 
land and Quebec before London — A Fellow Passenger — Ride by Railway 
through Massachusetts and New Hampshire to Vermont — Brief Notes 
by the Way — The Connecticut River, and description of Bellows Falls. 

" Our indiscretion sometimes serves us well ; 

When our deep plots do pall : and that should tfeach us 

There's a divinity that shapes our ends, 

Rough-hew them how we will." Shakspearb. 

Lake Champlain, June 14, 1851. 

Where now ? This is a lawful question for mj readers 
to propose, and I am more than half inclined to ask it 
myself; — I can answer it, however, only in humble 
reference to the mysterious workings of a super-directing 
Providence. Day before yesterday, in the afternoon, I 
left my own sweet home in Augusta for Europe — and here 
I am on Lake Champlain! — instead of ploughing the 
briny ocean named for the African Mount Atlas eastward, 
actually turning a furrow by steam on one of the fresh 
Mediterranean seas of our own Champaign country, west- 
ward of the Green Mountains ! 



14 GLIMPSES AI^D GATHERINGS. 

Thousands of facts and incidents in the whole history 
of my life, from childhood to old age, have arisen itp in 
my pathway a? proofs and demonstrations of the truth of 
the Scriptures — (the whole of life is a verification of 
Holy Writ,) — and especially of that Scripture which 
readeth, in the words of the Wise man, " A man's heart 
deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps." 
Have you not, also, often found it true ? Cannot you call 
to mind many instances in which you have " devised " 
your " ways," or in other words, have laid your plans 
and purposes with the utmost consideration and care, and 
commenced the execution of them with ready feet and 
strong hands ; and yet, you had hardly taken the first 
" step" ere your feet were tending in a different direction, 
and you were led to results of which you never dreamed 
at the beginning — all the while, knowing that you acted 
freely, and yet proving that God controlled every cause 
that could conspire to the final event ? I am just so much 
of a Calvinist that I verily believe God^s presence is every- 
where ; that his hand is concerned in all things ; that 
atheism, or the doctrine of chance, is true nowhere ; and 
that, if not a sparrow can fall to the ground without his 
notice, so neither can any other event take place in this or 
any other world which is not subject to the agency of Him, 
" who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." 

" Thus wisdom speaks 
To man; thus calls him through this actual form 
Of nature, through Religion's fiiller noon, 
Through life's bewildering mazes to observe 
A Providence in all." 

But though I admit and rejoice to believe in the super- 
directing agency of God's providence in all my move- 



A FOETHN'ATE CHANGE OF DIRECTION. 15 

ments, I do not, therefore, deny my own moral freedom or 
accountability, nor doubt that a very sufficient reason may 
be given why I am now going Westward on the Lake, 
rather than Eastward on the Ocean. Indeed, this strange 
fact, instead of being inconsistent with my main design, 
will be found the one, ordered in the Providence of God, 
for its better accomplishment. 

As I have said — I left home on Thursday afternoon ; 
and, after a most delightful passage in the excellent 
steamer "Ocean" — freighted brim-full of broad-brimmed 
Quakers, or Friends, proceeding to their Yearly Meeting 
at Newport, and a most excellent, because a pacific and 
honest people they are, whom I always love to be amongst 
— arrived in Boston at 3J o'clock the next morning. 
Nothing of particular interest occurred during the passage, 
unless I may mention the fact that some dishonest wight 
stole from my berth that famous cane which I have carried, 
and which has helped support me, through the whole of 
my manhood, and which, indeed, I received as a family 
heirloom in childhood, it having descended to me from a 
respected grandfather whose name I bear. Some person, 
I suppose, was tempted by the silver ring that clasped it, 
upon which my name Avas engraved. Much good may it 
do him ! I wished it to support my tottering steps in 
Europe, and prized it very highly from the circumstances 
under which it descended to me. The rogue will have my 
name with him wherever he carries the cane, and will 
know, as often as he sees it, that he is a thief and needs 
repentance. I leave him to the chastisement of his own 
conscience. 

Before I left the steamer, Rev. Charles Spear, of Bos- 
ton, came on board to inform us that the project of the 



16 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

famous clipper ship Nightingale taking the Peace Congress 
to London, had failed, and the passengers, after having 
been kept in suspense ten days, were deceived and injured, 
and must seek some other modes of conveyance to the old 
world. It seems there were some embarrassments on the 
ship which is yet upon the stocks in the territory of Maine, 
(opposite Portsmouth,) where carpenters have a lien upon 
the vessel till the bills are paid ; and under these embar- 
rassments she cannot be launched at present. Who is to 
blame we know not : but of one thing w^e are certain, no 
blame can attach to E. W. Jackson, Esq., the Secretary of 
the Peace Committee, of whom the passages were en- 
gaged. He has acted in good faith, like an honorable man, 
and promptly paid back, I understand, all the advanced 
moneys he received. If the payments had been made to 
some other persons, perhaps the passengers might have 
been used worse. 

God closes no passage, without opening another. A 
failure in one direction is oftentimes the means of better 
success in a different one. I was desirous that my lame 
son, who is a member of Bowdoin College, and who has 
been studying constantly for several years, should take a 
sea-voyage this summer, visit London, and see something 
of the world that is to be concentrated there ; in this the 
College Faculty concurred ; and W. V. and 0. Moses, 
Esqs., of Bath, two of the most enterprising ship-builders 
and owners on the Kennebec, generously wrote us, a short 
time before my departure, saying that they have a ship — 
the "New England," Capt. R. P. Manson — which has 
been sent round to Quebec to receive a load of deals, and 
is to proceed thence to London ; and if I would put him on 
board that ship, they would take him out to Europe and 



A FORTUNATE CHANGE OF DIRECTION. 17 

bring him back again on such terms as are highly credit- 
able to their liberality. Accordingly, he came to Boston 
with me, to go to Quebec, whilst I should embark in the 
Nightingale from Boston. Thus we were to be separated ; 
but the failure of this conveyance was a Providential 
agency which determined me to accompany my son to 
Quebec and take passage in the same ship. God, for wise 
and kind reasons, has resolved that father and son shall 
keep each other company. And so here we are on the 
highway to the American Gibraltar, steaming upon the lake 
for St. John's and Montreal, at which latter place we expect 
to arrive to-morrow (Sunday) morning at 9 o'clock. Rev. 
M. M. Preston, of Hingham, who was disappointed by 
the '' Nightingale," accompanies us to London, and will 
make an excellent travelling companion. 

We left Boston yesterday at IJ o'clock, P. M., for 
Burlington, via. Fitchburg. According to the advertise- 
ment we were to proceed to Rutland, Vt., last night, early 
next morning to Burlington on the lake, thence take a 
steamer to St. John's at the foot of the lake, and arrive at 
Montreal by 3j o'clock, P.M. to-day. But after we started 
we ascertained that the Vermont and Champlain road from 
Bellows Falls to Burlington had changed its time just so 
as to leave the former place an hour before the arrival 
of the Boston train ; and thus we were landed at Bellows 
Falls at 6.} o'clock, to go no further, but to remain till 
Saturday noon, when we took the cars for Burlington, and 
embarked at 5 o'clock for a sail down the lake ; and here 
I am on board a splendid boat from Whitehall, N. Y., 
delighting myself v/ith some of the most enchanting 
scenery, by land and water, that I ever witnessed. The 
Green Mountains of Vermont tower towards heaven in the 



18 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

east; over wide waters to the west, we behold the shores 
of Northern New York — of Ticonderoga, Queenstown 
and Plattsburg, near which latter citj the waters of this 
lake were made red during the bloody naval battle fought 
in the last war with England, in which our Commodore Mc- 
Donough was victorious ; fertile islands also stud the lake, 
and everything conspires to render the sail enchanting. I 
am not sorry I came this way ; and shall have much to 
write about after I visit Montreal and Quebec. 

The ride on Friday, from Boston to Bellows Falls, 114 
miles, was interesting tome. We passed through old Con- 
cord, where the first blood of the Revolution was shed, 
and also through Fitchburg, which is becoming a new 
inland city. Keene, N. H., is a beautiful place. It is 
situated on plains surrounded by mountains and high hills ; 
the streets are very wide and well shaded by trees, the 
buildings, public and private, give evidence of wealth and 
taste, and it appears to be a great head-quarters for rail- 
roading. A few miles before reaching Keene we passed 
Monadnock Mountain, which overlooks the Ashuelot river 
and valley where Keene is situated. The country east 
of Keene is very hilly, and we marvelled that any persons 
should ever think of building a railroad there. This 
character of country extends to Rutland, some fifty miles 
or more distant, and so severe are the cuts and so high are 
the embankments, that the whole road cost forty thousand 
dollars per mile. It is equal to the road through the Berk- 
shire mountains, from Springfield to Albany. Some of 
the cuts, through solid rock, are terrible. Doubtless we 
shall see more elegant roads and richer equipments in 
England ; but we shall see nothing that will rival, for sub- 



A FORTUNATE CHANGE OF DIRECTION. 19 

limitj and magnificence, the railroad scenery througli the 
Green Mountains of Vermont. 

Bellows Falls, where we stopped last night, are on the 
Connecticut river, which separates New Hampshire from 
Vermont. An intelligent bookseller who was so kind as 
to show us some of the Green Mountain elephants, assured 
me that they were originally called Bellows Falls from 
the resemblance of the river gorge at this place to a 
pair of bellows ; being wide and oval-shaped above, and 
thence the waters running through a sort of natural canal 
cut to a great depth in the solid ledge, in shape of the 
bellows' nose, through which all the waters of the river are 
precipitated. It is something like the cascade at West 
Water ville. Other authority, however, declares that these 
Falls are named from an original settler there by the name 
of Bellows. Both statements concurring, may be true. 
Bellows Falls village is on the western or Vermont side of 
the river, and is a pretty place. There are three churches, 
as many taverns, several stores, and a good number of 
neat dwelling-houses. Opposite the village, viz. on the 
eastern or New Hampshire side of the Connecticut river, 
rises, from the very water's edge a huge natural wall 
almost perpendicular, perhaps two or three miles long and 
nearly one thousand feet high. If the villagers would see 
an eastern sky, they must look up towards heaven at an 
angle of forty-five degrees. The sun does not rise in the 
morning — not till forenoon. The wall, or Falls Moun- 
tain, as it is called, though very precipitous, is like all the 
Green Mountains, literally green ; the roots of trees and 
shrubbery finding subsistence in the interstices of the 
rocks, so that, on the whole, it is a subhme ornament to 



20 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

the place. The wall is Nature's work. A million of 
railroad companies, with millions of nations to pledge their 
credit to the same, could not put up such a wall in a 
million of years. But my sheet is full. For an account 
of matters and things through the Green Mountain State, 
over the Lake, in Montreal, down the St. Lawrence and 
in Quebec, my readers will please to wait till they can 
hear from me agrain. 



LETTER II. 

JOURNEY TO MONTREAL. 

A sprinkling of uncongenial national elements — Montreal — Situation 
and size of the city — The Railway Ride amongst the Green Mountains 
— Fine grazing country — No country is made rich by mere field- 
ciilture — Ludlow — Embarkation on the Lake — Passengers onboard — 
Delightful scenery of the Lake — Com. McDonough's naval victory near 
Plattsburgh — Rich lands poorly cviltivated — Rouse's Point — Ogdens- 
burg Railroad — New Fortification — The Richilieu River entered — 
City of St. John's — Ride to Laprairie — First sight of the St. Lawrence 
•^Arrival in Montreal. 

Montreal, June 15, 1851. 

I WRITE now in Montreal — a city in America where 
I see both England and France in miniature. Can water 
and oil mix ? As well can the descendants of Gaul and 
Britain. Every thing here is as English as it is in Eng- 
land, and as French as it is in France ; so that before I 
visit the Old World I can be introduced to a readier and 
more familiar acquaintance with the sights and sounds of 
Europe, for my advantage when I reach my destination. 
I am told, and, indeed, so it is laid down in guide-books, 
that Montreal appears more like an European city than 
any other one on our continent. Its buildings are as 
antique in style, and built as much for durability, as are 
the structures of France and England. It is situated on 
the northern shore of the mighty St. Lawrence, which is 
widened into a bay in front, of oblong shape, some twenty 
miles in length, up and down river, by eight or ten wide. 
The population is forty or fifty thousands, — twice the size 
of Portland ; and yet, as I approached it this morning in 



22 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

the boat, I could not make it appear to be larger on the 
ground than that citj. It has many splendid public edi- 
fices in it, of which I shall speak after I have described my 
journey thither. 

I hav^e not been glad but once — and that is all the 
time — that Providence directed my steps toward Europe 
by way of Lake Champlain and the St. Lawrence River. 
I have seen what I never before saw, and probably never 
shall see again ; and the whole tour, thus far, has been one 
of absolute pleasure both to myself and son, and to our 
travelling companion, Mr. Preston. 

"We left Bellows Falls on Saturday noon for St. John's, 
via Burlington and the Lake. The weather was pleasant, 
and our route lay entirely across the State of Vermont. 
It is a curious place over which to make a railroad, but 
human art and capital will accomplish almost any thing. 

Sometimes the m.ountains would tower above our heads 
on one side, whilst the yawning gulf below on the other, 
would make us giddy to look into it. The country, though 
hilly, is not barren or desolate, but the soil is good and 
may be cultivated in most places to the tops of the moun- 
tains. It resembles the mountainous regions of Oxford, 
Franklin, and Somerset counties in our own State, and the 
soil is no better, and the improvements are not so good. 
I was surprised to see so little orcharding ; and as for 
the farms, they did not appear to be so well cultivated, or 
the people that occupy them so comfortable and thrifty, 
as they are in most parts of the " Dirigo " State. After 
all, I am not ashamed of Maine, even as an agricultural 
region. I begin to be proud of her in this respect. 
Vermont is undoubtedly an excellent grazing State — so 
is Maine ; and the history of the world shows that those 



JOURKEY TO MOKTREAL. 23. 

ru ral regions where grazing is the best, are the most inde- 
pendent as agricultural communities. Cultivated field crops 
alone make no people wealthy. Commerce is the fabled 
goose that lays the golden egg ; and Maine is better fitted 
for commerce than any other State of the Union. In due 
time our nest will be full of eggs. These sending their 
golden chickens all over the rural districts of our State, will 
Secure to the agricultural interest a corresponding wealth. 
Time will verify all this. 

On the route through Vermont we seldom saw much of 
a village ; we did, however, pass Ludlow, Brandon, famous 
once for a Bank, and famous still for its iron foundries. -^ 
We also passed Rutland, Vergennes, the ancient seat of 
government, and Middlebury, where is a College. WJien 
within six miles of Burlington we first saw the Lake and 
the mountains of Northern New York on the western 
side of it. It was the first time I ever saw a Lake, pro- 
perly so called. This is about one hundred miles long — 
from Whitehall, N. Y., to Rouse's Point, — and differs 
in wadth from one to ten miles. We arrived in Burling- 
ton at 4 o'clock, P. M. — distant 120 miles from the 
place we started from at noon, via Bellows Falls, and 234 
from Boston. Burlington is certainly a very pretty place. 
It is well laid out on a gentle slope towards the Lake, and 
has a number of beautiful streets and handsome buildings. 
It is the seat of the Vermont University. At the wharf 
in Burlington a splendid steamer, the " United States " 
— a larger and more richly furnished boat than the 
"Ocean," — was in waiting for us, having arrived a few. 
moments before from Whitehall. Glad were we to get on 
board, away from the jar and clatter and dust of the cars, 
and breathe the free sweet airs of the Lake. The boat 



24 GLIMPSES Al^D aATHERlJ^fG^. 

had a large number of passengers on board, who appeared 
poUte and cheerful. 

The passage on the lake Avas charming. I could not; 
make the fresh water o'f a lake appear like the briny deep 
of the ocean — after all,' it was a pond to me ; still, it is 
pleasanter, if not so sublime, sailing on smooth waters that 
know no sea, than it is to be tossed up and down on the 
heaving billows of old Ocean. The Green Mountains of 
Vermont were in the distance east, exposing their smooth 
and well formed tops to the heavens ; between that range 
and the lake, the country is tolerably level, and the land 
evidently good. On the other, the western side, is North- 
ern New York, and some of the mountains in the distance 
appear higher than do any in Vermont. One was pointed 
out to me that is said to be the highest land in the United 
States, save the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The 
scenery was fine, — -being various — and the lake itself 
was studded with verdant islands, and moving lake boats, 
small sloops and schooners, and steamers of all sizes. A 
point of land on the western shore — some twenty miles 
from Burhngton, — makes a bay within, on which Platts- 
burg is situated, and where the celebrated naval battle was 
fought with success on our side in the last war with Eng- 
land, which immortalized Com. McDonough. 

I noticed, as we advanced north, that the land appeared 
more level, till both shores of the lake finally became a 
champaign country, as far as the eye could see. Thus, 
I suppose, we had a sample of the appearance of the 
Great West. The lands are not exactly prairie, for they 
evidently had been wooded and cleared ; but their quality 
must be good, as the rich verdure of the grass and grain, 
and the size of the trees plainly evinced. And yet they 



JOURNEY TO MONTREAL. 25 

are poorly cultivated. We saw but a few pretty cottages, 
or painted houses, with ornamental yards and out grounds. 
The " do-for-the-present" policy is that which seems to 
prevail in all those rich bottom lands. 

At Rouse's Point we halted for passengers from the 
Railroads. This is the narrowest point on the Lake, and is 
near — within fifteen or twenty miles, — of the lower end, 
where it discharges into the Richilieu River. The Ogdens- 
burg Railroad terminates here, and the Vermont and 
Massachusetts Railroad comes up to meet it on the 
eastern side. Piles are driven and tracks are laid for the 
cars to run upon, on both sides, from the shore to the 
channel in the middle of the Lake. 

By this road the Boston people expect to take the trade 
of the Great West. 

Shortly after leaving Rouse's Point, we passed a large 
American Fort in progress of building. We then crossed 
the line into Canada, and passed the Isle au Naux, where 
is a British garrison. It appears in good repair. We then 
entered' the Richilieu River, through which the waters of 
Lake Champlain are discharged into the St. Lawrence 
River. It is wide and placid ; the shores are low, level 
and swampy. Thus steaming down about fifteen miles, we 
came to St. John's — a considerable tov/n on the left bank 
of the river ; St. Antoines being on the opposite side. 
There are rapids in the river here, which the boats can- 
not pass ; so we stopped in St. John's, where we arrived a 
httle before nine o'clock, having travelled two hundred 
miles on Saturday afternoon. St. John's has several long, 
level, thickly settled streets ; but is a filthy place — just 
where some kinds of Yankees, we know of — such as have 
3 



^6 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

no consciences — could make money bj open rum-selling. 
We put up at a tolerable house — but not a Temperance 
one ; there is none such in the citj. The cars left at seven 
o'clock next morning for Montreal, or rather for Laprairie 
— distant fifteen miles — which lies on the southern side 
of the river or bay opposite Montreal. 

The whole country from St. John's to Laprairie is a per- 
fect level — like the low prairies of Michigan. They are 
fenced into farms, but the fences at a little distance appear 
so thick together — being on a level — that in the distance 
you see nothing but the rails gUstening in the sun, and I 
could make nothing of the country as far as I could see, 
but one vast area oafish flakes^ broken only by miserable 
Canadian-French houses. 

Arrived at Laprairie, we had our first view of the St. 
Lawrence, the twin sister of the Mississippi — the one be- 
ing for the North what the other is for the South. It is a 
holy Sabbath morning, and the scenery is delightful. We 
stand upon the steamer's deck and look upon and across 
the river northward. It is nine miles across the water to 
Montreal, and a greater distance to the land up or down 
the river. You see the city with its numerous spires, repos- 
ing near the river ; and directly in the rear of it, at the 
north-west, a beautiful mountain or high hill, the sides of 
which are occupied by the seats of the lords and gentry of 
the city. As we pass over the wide waters, we look back 
upon the southern side of the river, and behold in the dis- 
tance at the south-east, a range of beautiful mountains that 
seem suddenly to arise out of the interminable plain. One 
of them is Belle Isle, where the first cross was erected in 
America ; another is St. Horace, and a third — a more 
beautiful one still, — we have forgotten the name of. 



JOURNEY TO MONTREAL. 27 

Montreal, as we have said, does not, from the water, ap- 
pear much larger than Portland. There are a few brigs 
and schooners, and several steamboats, at the wharves. 
British flags are thick ; amongst them is one American, 
and that is the highest of all — just like Yankee opera- 
tions. There is a high, hammered stone wall, a mile long, 
upon the bank of the river, between which and the water, 
all the wharves are built. It is a noble piece of masonry. 
There are passages for carriages, from the Fore-street, par- 
allel with its i-iver line, down to the wharves, and these 
pass-ways are also laid in stone masonry. A heavy iron- 
railing is erected upon the top of the wall the whole length 
of it, so that people of the street can lounge over the " lazy 
pole," and look off upon the wharves, shipping, &c. Ca- 
leches, and cabs, and omnibuses, in great numbers, are in 
waiting for the passengers ; we accept the card of a Tem- 
perance House — the Eagle Hotel, on College street, -^ 
and soon find excellent lodgings. 



LETTER III. 



DESCRIPTION OF MONTREAL. 

Structure of Montreal — A Catholic city — Good observance of the Sab- 
bath — Boys of Jesuit's College — Notre Dame street Church — De- 
scription of the interior — Fifty Priests and other performers for avast 
congregation — Sermon in French — Apostolic creepers — A procession 

— Black Nuns and Gray Nuns — The Scotch Kirk — The new Catholic 
Cathedral — An argument for the Real Presence — Temperance House 

— College on the opposite side of the street — Nunneries — Streets, and 
stores, and public edifices of Montreal — View from Montreal. 

Montreal, June 16, 1851. 
This citj is laid out, for the most part, like Philadelphia, 
in squares, but the buildings upon them are not so elegant ; 
thej are mostly of stone, and built after European fashions. 
The roofs are steep, with Lutheran windows projecting 
therefrom, and covered, or as we should saj, shingled, with 
square sheets of iron or tin, and laid so that the lines of each 
layer shall run in an angular direction towards the gable 
ends of the building, rather than rectangularly towards 
the eaves. This, I suppose, is done to tempt all the water 
off, it finding no horizontal lines where the dirt may lodge 
and make an obstruction. The buildings are generally 
not high or ornamental ; and occasionally, amqng^t the 
blocks, we meet with some old wooden French shanty, 
with its piazzas and roof-walks so rotten as to be on the 
point of falling to the cellar. A large market house stands 
on Fore street overlooking the wharves and river, about mid- 
way of the city. This is of stone, is two stories high, and 



DESCRIPTION OF MONTREAL, 29 

lias a dome in the centre. It appears to advantaf!;e on 
approaching the city by water. There are other elegant 
buildings in Montreal, of which I shall speak directly. 

This is a Catholic city, as yesterday, being Sunday I 
had opportunity to observe ; and I must say that, Catholic 
as it is, I did not see but what the Sabbath Avas observed 
with as much religious order and reverence as it is in our 
Puritanic New England cities. I saw not a store or shop 
open for business. I heard the roar of no omnibuses or 
carriages. The streets were quiet and still. No loafers 
were about, and the only things I saw, which might be ob- 
jected to, were a few women quitely sitting at corners of 
the streets with baskets of oranges, apples and confection- 
ary for sale, and the boys of Jesuit's College playing the 
bugle and the drum, and kicking foot-balls in the College 
yards, after service at the church. 

When we arrived at the wharf, about nine o'clock Sun- 
day morning, we did so under the chimes of Notre Dame 
street Church, which is the most splendid church in Amer- 
ica, whose towers, and minarets rise above the surround- 
ing buildings and make it "sit a queen" amongst them all. 
There are bells enough in the towers to fill all the notes 
of the octave, and the music that floated over the city 
was solemn and inspiring, calculated to subdue and chas- 
ten the public mind, and prepare it for the solemn devo- 
tions of the day. This church is not the Cathedral. That 
is always the Cathedral where the Bishop has his seat, 
even if it be in a school house. His seat in this city 
is in St. Patrick's church, an edifice towards the moun- 
tam, of great capacity, and dignity of appearance. It is 
of stone. How many Catholic churches there are in the 
city, I do not know ; but the Parish church on Notre 
8* 



30 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Dame street, is the most splendid of all. It, or rather its 
buildings, cover an acre and a quarter of land, and cost 
between four and five hundred thousand dollars. AVe 
know not its size, but are told that when the first mass was 
celebrated in it, July 1829, ten thousand persons were 
seated in the church ; and that if it were to be filled as our 
Protestant churches are, at times, bj people sitting and 
standing wherever thej could get in, the house would 
hold twenty thousand people. We have no doubt of it. 
After finding our lodgings, and getting brushed up, 
we wended our way for this church, w^here public ser- 
vice was then being conducted. As we reached the 
building, we were inclined to exclaim, as the Disciples 
did to Jesus, when standing before the Temple of 
Jerusalem, — " See what manner of stones, and what 
buildings are here ! " We entered. The house appeared 
full. Five stone vases of holy water stood, each, oppo- 
site an entrance door. Standing at the head of the 
great nave, or centre aisle, (there are five of them,) you 
seem to be looking down a long hall, the sides of which 
are supported by rows of marble columns that sustain 
two splendid galleries, rising one above the other towards 
the roof. The central hall, or space between the galle- 
ries, rises to the points of beautiful arches ascending 
from the several columns. Minor arches arise in dif- 
ferent directions over the upper galleries, the whole 
constituting one grand arch for the whole building. 
The columns are of clouded marble, each appearing to 
be composed of a dozen small columns well set together 
and highly polished and surmounted with covered capi- 
tals. As you stand at the head of the great nave and 
look down the long avenue to the east end, in the dis- 



DESCRIPTION OF MONTREAL. 81 

tance, you behold there the high altar of sacrifice, where 
the bread is converted into flesh and the wine into 
blood. A golden image of Christ is in the centre, sur- 
rounded by significant emblems and flowers, and seven 
burning tapers." Behind it is a huge arched window, 
fillino; almost the entire end of this width of the buildino;. 
It is set in small squares of glass, all green but rows of 
white ones that make the form of a cross in each one of 
the small arches of which the whole arch of the window 
is composed. At the right and left; of the altar are circu- 
lar rows of black walnut seats, pohshed like the nicest fur- 
niture, which are occupied by the priests and apostles and 
choristers in white, with black cloth caps. In front of the 
altar is a carved railing, supported by banisters, resting 
upon a platform that descends to the main floor of the 
hall by seven mahogany plank steps. At these steps the 
penitents kneel during mass, and receive the eucharist. 
The priests, with their gold laced vestments, officiate in 
front of the Holy Place, where the real Presence abides, 
with their backs to the people. Large gilt frames, enclos- 
ing splendid paintings of Christ, in the act of being bound, 
of receiving the crown of thorns, of being nailed to the 
cross, of suffering the agonies of crucifixion, of being taken 
down from the cross, buried in the tomb of Joseph, rising 
from the grave &c., are suspended from each of the great 
marble columns that support the galleries, which galleries, 
by the way, occupying all but the east end of the building, 
are three stories high, and the organ is in the upper one 
over the entry. Looking within the rows of columns to 
the side walls of the house, you see them occupied by 
eight sentry boxes or confessionals on a side, where the 
penitents confess their sins to the priests. Each priest 



32 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

presides in his own confessional, and there are fifteen 
priests that do service in this church. The confession 
boxes are finished according to the taste or pride of the 
priests, and their names are painted on them in gold. On 
the main walls of the house, too, between the confessionals, 
are elegant paintings. The walls of the altar, of course, are 
full of them. 

Projecting from the middle column on the left side of 
the great nave, and directly in front of the people in the 
middle gallery, is the rostrum or pulpit, which the priest 
occupies when preaching. A winding flight of bronzed 
iron stairs ascend the column to his box, which is a beau- 
tifully carved pedestal, over which is an ample sounding 
board. Opposite to him, fronting the corresponding 
column on the other side of the hall, is a gilded table on 
which rests a solid silver image of Christ on the cross, 
that, we dare say, would weigh an hundred pounds. On 
either side of it are huge silver candlesticks, that would 
probably weigh twenty pounds each, in which are tall 
candles burning. The central aisle and side aisles are very 
wide, and are occupied by benches fronting the east, not 
so long but what people may pass between the ends of 
them and the pews. These are for poor people. The 
pews will seat four persons each, are made of black walnut 
polished, and richly lined and furnished. 

Now stand, as we stood, on entering this magnificent 
temple, and amidst its many, but harmonious arches, small 
and great, all tending to one grand arch, its columns, and 
galleries, and paintings, and huge windows, and confession- 
als, and pedestals, and altars, and images, look upon the 
vast congregation that fills it. The main floor is entirely 
filled with people. The first and second galleries, too, far 



DESCRIPTION OF MONTREAL. 33 

back to the main walls and windows, are filled mostly by 
ladies. Fifty priests and apostles, or boys in white, sur- 
round the high altar of sacrifice. A venerable man of 
gray hairs occupies the rostrum or pulpit on the marble 
column, and delivers a sermon in French. He speaks ex- 
temporaneously, but earnestly, and with his cap in one 
hand. W,e could not understand a word he said, but all 
the people gave the most respectful attention, and at the 
name of Jesus, whenever he pronounced it, we noticed 
every head in all the vast congregation bowed ! V/hen he 
had closed, chantings began at the altar, responded to by 
the great organ and the choir which accompanied it. Mean- 
while, various priests were performing their ceremonies, 
kneeling, crossing themselves, &c., &c. At one time we 
noticed the apostolic boys crawling in procession before the 
altar, on hands and knees ; at another, a procession of 
men marched upon the main fioor, before the railing of the 
altar, led by officers with red capes, and something in their 
hands that looked like sheathed swords. By and by, priests 
burned incense, clouds of which arosft in graceful motions, 
from hollow balls thrown into the air, and caught as they 
descended, and soon filled the house with the fragrance of 
frankincense. 

When the service closed, and the people began to retire, 
the organ struck up a quick step, as much as to say, hur- 
ry home with a merry heart, your sins are forgiven, go in 
peace. The black nuns and the gray nuns, all clad in 
black veils, and the orphans clad in white, passed out in 
procession. 

We tarried till most of the people had left the house, 
and then, by the approbation of an intelligent person, 
walked about the building to inspect the machinery at our 



34 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

leisure. Yet many worshippers lingered, some reading in 
tlieir pews, others on their knees upon the floor of the aisles, 
saying their prayers ; some dipping their fingers in the 
holy water and crossing themselves. We must say the 
service was grand and imposing ; and if men's minds and 
hearts are reached through the bodily senses, we know not 
why strong communications might not be made to the soul 
through such solemn and significant services. We know 
that forms without the substance are vain ; but can there 
be any substance without form ? The body without the 
spirit is dead ; but how can the spirit act and demonstrate 
its existence but by means of a body ? If there is a (spirit 
in Catholic worship corresponding to the beauty, dignity, 
and solemnity of its significant ceremonies, it must be a 
grand and glorious spirit ; and if the Catholics are hypo- 
crites — we judge them not — they have a higher judge 
than we. God make us all honest and sincere. 

In the afternoon we went into the Scotch Kirk, a new 
stone edifice, and the handsomest Protestant church we 
ever saw. We cannot describe it in its exterior or inte- 
rior. It is a new building, that has been occupied but six 
months. Rev. Dr. Matthewson is the pastor — a clerical 
brother preached for him that afternoon. There is some- 
thing sturdy and honest in the Scotch ; they are consci- 
entious in their religion, and are great thinkers. 

From the Kirk, we crossed the street and dropped into 
the new CathoUc Cathedral. It is a monster building of 
stone — not so rich as the church on Notre Dame street, 
but rich enough to make even Trinity Church in New 
York appear mean. A small congregation was assembled 
in a collection of pews and free seats that surrounded one 
of the priest's stands, and after conducting a Latin service, 



DESCRIPTION OP MONTREAL. 35 

he stood forth and addressed the people in Enghsh. It 
was an extemporaneous discourse, and gave them instruc- 
tion as to the duties of the month. He had much to say 
of the Real Presence. Said he — " When Jesus (at which 
word all reverently bowed,) said — ' Take, eat, this is my 
body,' he did not say the bread was like his body — for it 
was not ; nor that it was an image of his body, for it was 
not. There is nothing in broken bread that bears any re- 
semblance to a human body sacrificed. But his language 
was positive ; this is my hodif. We must take him at his 
word and believe what he says. In the holy act of conse- 
cration his body is not converted into bread and wine, but 
the reality of bread and wine is destroyed, and the real 
substance is his body and blood. It is a holy mystery, but 
the more awful and effectual on this account." The con- 
gregation all bowed assent. We thought as we pleased on 
the subject. 

I am put up at the Eagle Hotel, a really good Tem- 
perance House, kept by Francis Duclos, on College street. 
It is called College street because the whole of the square 
opposite the buildings upon the side of our hotel belongs 
to the Catholic College. It covers an area of about one 
hundred rods in length by sixteen in width. It is all en- 
closed in a faced stone wall, twelve feet high, laid in 
masonry ; and so tight that no one can see through it. 
But I can look over it from my third story chamber win- 
dow where I sit and write. I can see its huge College 
buildings, its gardens, the graven images amongst the 
shrubbery, its fountains, &c., very plainly. The main 
building is like the Insane Hospital at Augusta, or 
as it would be if a winsf was built on the north to corres- 
pond with that on the south. There are two hundred stu- 



86 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

dents in it. They came here from the States and from 
Europe. It is the most famous College of CathoUcs in 
America. The course of instruction embraces seven 
years, and is very thorough. Men are fitted for all pro- 
fessions ; but I can see the young priests walking out in 
the gardens with their black surplices and bands trim- 
med in white and their black caps on. Every once in a 
while yesterday (Sunday,) I could hear the College halls 
resound with the chan tings of many voices. I suppose 
they were engaged in their devotions. Hon. Edward 
Kavanagh, our late honest Governor, was educated here. 
They are building a new Jesuit's College in the city, up 
towards Mount Real ; it is to be a branch of the old Jiive. 
The edifice is to be a splendid one. 

The Gray Nunnery is near the old College, within sight 
of my window, and directly opposite the ruins of the Par- 
liament House which was burnt by the Rebels. It is en- 
closed by a high stone fence, and looks like a State Prison. 
Finding a gate open I ventured into the yards and 
gardens yesterday towards nightfall. Of course I could 
see none of the Nuns. Another Nunnery is on St. Paul's 
street ; and is called the Black Nunnery, in allusion to 
the color of the dresses of the nuns. The gray nuns offi- 
ciate in the hospital in taking care of the sick : and the 
black nuns are devoted to education. There is also a 
Congregational Nunnery, in connection with the great 
French church on Notre Dame street. But we must not 
mistake this for a Congregationalism Nunnery. I hope to 
get an opportunity to visit some of these establishments in 
course of the day. I must leave for Quebec to-night. 
I am sorry there is no day-boat that goes down the river, 
for I am told the scenery is the most grand of any in 



DESCRIPTION OP MONTREAL. 87 

America. I shall lose all of that which is passed in the 
night time, but shall have several hours of morning light 
above Quebec. 

I have been about town this forenoon and find Mon 
treal a busy place. Some of its streets are paved with 
stone, more with wooden blocks, and more yet are 
McAdamized. None of them, however, are in very good 
repair. The frost has evidently done hard service to 
them. Most of the sidewalks are plank, but in good con- 
dition. There are many fine stores in the city, and the 
merchants and clerks are accomplished in their trade. I 
noticed several splendid buildings as I passed about town, 
amongst which is the British Bank of North America, 
the Montreal Bank, &c. Most of the language I hear 
spoken is French — Canadian French. The boys at their 
play, the girls as they promenade the streets, and the 
clerks as they wait on customers, for the most part jabber 
in what I cannot understand. Montreal was originally 
established by the French, and retains its primitive 
character, maugre the English government that con- 
trols it. 

The view from the Mountain in rear of the city is doubt- 
less very fine ; and if I can contrive to get on to it this 
afternoon, I must. It overlooks the whole city, the St. 
Lawrence river above and below, the adjacent country 
north, and the Ottoway river and valley there ; and in 
passing up it, we see the estates and mansions of the dons 
of the city and the dignitaries of the British Government. 
The top of the mountain is a dense forest, and there is a 
Hotel in the midst of it. 
4 



38 GLIMPSES AND GATHEMKGS. 

It is a luxury to be put up at a good Temperance House. 
Since I left Boston, till I reached Montreal, I found 
nothing but rum taverns, and open bars in hotels and 
steamers ; but friend Duclos is a religious man, a moral 
man, and of course a Temperance man ; and I have seen 
no rum, nor heard any profane language since I have oc- 
cupied his premises ; this is no place for loafers and row- 
dies. His house has none but neat, orderly and intelHgent 
patrons. I not only feel quieter, but decidedly safer thus 
lodged. I hear much praise accorded to Maine here, for 
the passage of the late liquor lavr and its approval by Gov. 
Hubbard. It is believed Maine can lead off as well as any 
State ; and if she asserts the sovereignty of her Laws, 
and maintains them, her example will have a thrilling 
effect all over the Union, and all over the world. Gov. 
Hubbard is just the man to tell the people they must obey 
the Laws. I feel proud of my State, and hope that the 
motto on her coat of Arms — " Dirigo " — will be main- 
tained, not only politically, but educationally and morally. 
The Star in the East should lead the way, and guide the 
wise men of our nation to the place where Wisdom and 
Virtue are born. 



LETTER IV. 

DESCRIPTION OF QUEBEC. 

The longest day in the -svi-iter's life — Where Montgomery fell — Wolfe's 
Cove — The Citadel, or Gibraltar of America — The River St. Lawrence 

— Plains of Abraham — The Lower Town — Shores of the St. Lawrence 
and St. Charles — Ships in Quebec — Walls of the City — Suburbs 

— Spot where Wolfe fell — His Monument and Inscription — Visit to 
the Citadel— Scotch Highland Regiment — An Artillery Regiment 
saluting the Queen's ascension — Streets, Shops, Taverns and Churches 

— Proportion of Catholics — Fires and Plague in Quebec — Ship-build- 
ing and Navigation — Account of Montgomery's death. 

Quebec June 21, 1852. 

This is the longest day in the year, — being the Sum- 
mer solstice, — and the longest day of any year that I 
ever saw. Quebec is in latitude, north 46 deg. 49 m., 
consequently, between sunrise and sunset, there lack but 
18 minutes of 16 hours. Byron, in his Don Juan, said 
the moon, modest as she is, sees more wickedness in three 
hours, than the sun beholds in the longest day of the year. 

•' There is not a day, 
The longest, not the twenty first of June, 
Sees half the business in a wicked way. 
On which three hours of moonlight smiles." 

But Byron did not remember, perhaps, that there are 
places on the earth — Quebec is not exactly one of them, 
— where the world has not a chance for even three hours 
of moonlight villanies, — the sun monopolizing the whole of 
the live-long night ; would there were no deeds of dark- 



40 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

ness where no darkness is ! I shall never again see so 
long a day as this, till I reach that bright world of which 
the Sun of Righteousness is the light, and where neither 
sin nor darkness is ever known. In the faith of that 
world, God help me to live ; in the hope of it, may he 
enable me to die. 

I write this letter in a city which is rich not only in 
historic reminiscences, but as a spot sacred to American 
patriotism. That spot is a niche in the mountain walls of 
the Plains of Abraham, where our own Montgomery fell 
and closed his noble life with the closing year, Dec. 31, 
1775. With a view to see the inscription which a few 
Yankees, some years ago, placed upon a tablet erected 
just over the fatal spot, — which inscription is in these 
words, " Here Montgomery fell, Dec. 31, 1775," — I 
wandered early this morning from the city proper up 
Champlain street, than runs along the base of this precip- 
itous mountain wall, and upon the margin of the St. Law- 
rence river ; and arriving at a gorge or ravine that seems 
to have been cut down the rocky precipice, I attempted 
myself to scale the wall and stand and sit upon a slaty 
shelf once moistened by the ebbing blood of Montgomery's 
heart. With effort I climbed the precipice ; and here I 
sit, as in a seat cut out of the mountain side, projecting 
rocks encircling me on all sides but at the open south 
whence I look out upon the mighty St. Lawrence, down 
upon the busy street and wharves below me, and above to 
a clear heaven, in which a bright sun, unclouded, shines 
in glory upon one of the most enchanting landscapes that 
the American Continent can boast of. Behind me, the 
almost perpendicular wall of horizontally laid slaty strata 
rises three hundred feet to the bloody Plains of Abraham, 



DESCRIPTION OF QUEBEC. 41 

where Wolfe and Montcalm fell in the great battle of 
September 13, 1759. Montgomery was with Wolfe in 
that fight, sixteen years before. 

At my right, the eye traces the straight line of this 
singular wall, laid with great exactness in Nature's 
masonry, till the view is broken by Wolfe's Cove, about 
three miles above, a basin cut into the land whence Wolfe 
ascended with his army to the Plains above where the 
long controversy for the control of America, between 
France and England, was decided in deadly strife. On 
my left, and nearly over my head, is the Citadel, a height 
higher than any of the other heights within the city, on 
which is the strongest fortification in the new world, and 
which commands the St. Lawrence at this point. The 
lower town, too, of the city, and the forests of masts that 
rise from the numerous ships which crowd the wharves 
and ride thickly in the stream, are bright in my eye as a 
clear sun smiles upon those busy scenes of commerce ; 
and before me, the deep waters of the placid river St. 
Lawrence, a mile or more in width just here — (a narrower 
passage than usual, for the waters of the Great Western 
Lakes) — extends to the opposite banks of Point Levi, 
where Gen. Arnold encamped when he came through with 
his suffering army from Kennebec, to join Montgomery in 
the winter of 1775. That Point then was field and forest ; 
now it is covered with stores and houses and churches and 
hospitals, and its wharves are lined with shipping. Two 
steam Ferry Boats are constantly passing from Point Levi 
to the city loaded promiscuously with coaches, caleches 
(pronounced calashes) and carts ; horses, cattle and 
swine ; gentlemen, ladies and — Canadians. We have not 
4* 



42 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

seen any of the last, who, or wJdch, are entitled to be 
classed in the category with the two first. 

Before my pen runs too far from what, perhaps, it ought 

to have mentioned in the beginning, let me remind you of 

the precise locale of Quebec. Permit me to describe it as it 

struck my own eye, when, after a steam-boat passage here 

on Monday night last, I arrived at the city, on Tuesday 

morning, about six o'clock. From early daylight, till I 

arrived, my soul was moved with the inimitably magnificent 

views of the mighty St. Lawrence, and its varied shores 

— varied from mountain to meadow, from deep forests to 

green fields, and from solitude's chosen retreats to busy 

towns and smiling villages ; — meanwhile, our noble 

steamer — the " Crescent " — which performed her one 

hundred and eighty miles from Montreal in twelve hours — 

passing numerous other steamers, fleets of noble ships, and 

rafts of hewn timber, and deals of all dimensions — brought 

from all the adjacent country, and even from Grand Island 

at Niagara Falls, and all the shores of the Great Lakes. 

The river is very wide, and the land on either side appears 

fertile. It is the month of June, and everything appears 

to its best advantage. The St. Lawrence, running on a 

Korth parallel of latitude, is the rival river of the Mississippi 

running South ; both originate in North Western America ; 

the waters of this are quick, pure, and sweet ; those of 

the other, sluggish, muddy, and impure. 

As we go down the river east, and approach the city, 
we find ourselves under a high, natural wall, at the river's 
brink on the left, from the summit of which a green Plain 
makes off^ northward towards the St. Charles river, which 
is approaching the St. Lawrence for a junction with it 
below, thus forming a heater, or wedge-Uke plain that 



DESCRIPTION OF QUEBEC. 43 

comes to a point — the Point on which Quebec is situated. 
This wall is of slate stone, that seems to be piled in hori- 
zontal layers, maintaining almost a perpendicular line, of 
uniform height — about three hundred feet — and broken 
only occasionally by some rocky ravine, or receding cave, 
around which, warehouses and dwellings are built under 
the hill, and rafts and ships make business for the inhabi- 
tants. The plains above are the Plains of Abraham. As 
I have said, they form a point at their south-east, where 
the St. Charles pours itself into the St. Lawrence. As 
you approach this point, an elevation of the plain that 
renders the river's bank-wall higher than elsewhere, is 
seen like a dome rising from an embattled roof. This is 
the Citadel of Quebec, from which the English flag is 
flying. From this citadel, the land descends northward to 
the St. Charles, and eastward to the point of junction, but 
not southward on the line of the St. Lawrence. This huge 
wall still maintains its elevation the whole length of the 
city on the St. Lawrence side, and seems loth to bend its 
high and proud back even at its terminus ; it does, how- 
ever, there make a graceful inclination to the mouth of the 
St. Charles, which embraces it with a perpetual kiss. Of 
course, from the St. Lawrence river, till after you pass the 
point, and enter upon the broad bay below Quebec, you 
cannot see the city, or upper town. To do this, you 
need to be upon the Plains of Montmorenci, below the St. 
Charles, at the north-east. There you view the whole 
slope of the city, and see all the upper town. The lower 
town is directly below the walls of the upper, and closely 
pressed into the river. There is room but for a single 
street — Champlain Street — and sometimes another, ac- 
cording as favoring projections have enabled people to build 



44 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

small pieces of others upon or across the wharves. The 
shores are bold, the water deep, and there is no oppor- 
tunity for extending streets by making land, as in harbors 
which have beaches and flats. The entire shores, both on the 
St, Lawrence and the St. Charles, are occupied with 
wharves ; and we were surprised to behold the num- 
bers of ships in port. There are more than we ever saw 
in Boston. During the navigation season, which lasts but 
five months, more than two thousand ships, most of them 
the largest class, arrive in Quebec, to say nothing of 
brigs, schooners, smaller vessels and steamers. The 
ships are principally English ; but some Yankees are get- 
ting amongst them, carrying off British timber to English 
ports, to pay John Bull for carrying cotton from New 
Orleans. We think Quebec may become an important 
point for the commerce of the United States. It ought to 
be a city of the Republic. 

The lower town, beneath the hill, and the upper, on the 
Plains, are separated by this mountain wall. A spiral 
road, however, winds up it, called Mountain Street, and 
enters the upper city at Prescott Gate. The ascent is 
very steep and narrow. Two other streets, however, 
ascend from St. Charles river, not so steep, and enter the 
city through Palace Gate and St. Roch's Gate. The 
stores and houses on the river street are crowded back 
against the hill, the perpendicular sides of which, in 
some cases, are, by a little artificial assistance, made to 
answer for the rear wall of the buildings. The tops of 
these houses, and their tallest chimneys, hardly reach up 
one-fourth of the distance to the military wall of the city, 
on which the spectator looks down — down — into the very 
chimneys of the highest stores and houses. 



DESRIPTION OF QUEBEC. 45 

Quebec is a walled city, smd the only one that is such 
in America. I am glad there is one walled city in the 
new world, and equally glad there is but one. It is well 
to have a sample of feudal times and European fashions 
as matters of curiosity amongst us ; but one such sample 
answers such a purpose, and that is enough. The old 
world has always lived upon the principle of antagonism — 
a doctrine, which takes it for granted that man is the 
natural enemy of man, and must be treated as such in 
advance. Hence, the policy of castles and walled cities, 
as if men were to be secure in their rights only by means of 
powder, lead, and steel. In the new world, a new doctrine 
is believed, and practised upon. As no private citizen thinks 
it necessary to build a tower or castle for the security of 
his person and rights, so no republican town or city of the 
United States would think, for a moment, of its being 
necessary to surround it by a huge wall to secure its citi- 
zens from pillage and murder. It is no more necessary in 
Quebec ; yet it is a fortified cit}^, and as such, is a curi- 
osity worth preserving. And preserved it must be. There 
is too much property invested in walls, and towers, and 
magazines, and prisons, and arsenals, and armories, and 
bastions, and hospitals, and parade grounds, and glaciers, 
and cannon, and muskets, and sabres, and powder, 
and balls, and bomb-shells, to be thrown away or aban- 
doned ; and to keep them all in repair requires regiments 
of soldiers constantly on duty. The wall about the upper 
city is three miles long, sixty feet thick, and varying 
from twenty to forty feet high, and resting on a foundation 
averaging 300 feet above the rivers. Through it the 
city is entered by five gates — the three already men- 
tioned, and St. John's and St. Louis' besides. The sub- 



46 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

urbs are without the gates — ■ five parishes in number, — 
and these, with the city within the walls, constitute a pop- 
ulation of between forty and fifty thousand. From St. 
Louis' and St. John's gates, turnpikes extend out upon 
Abraham's Plains, one mile from which gates, are toll hous" 
es for the collection of the tolls. Near that, on the turn- 
pike from St. Louis' Gate, is the spot where Gen, Wolfe 
fell, on w^hich a monument is raised with this inscription 
— " Here Wolfe fell Victorious." I visited this spot 
yesterday, alone, and gathered, as a souvenir, a flower 
emblematical of the fading glory of man, from a soil made 
rich by the perished body of the great English Gen ral. 
The plains, thereabouts, are now covered with cottages, and 
gardens, and farms ; but we could see that the place which 
Wolfe occupied in battle, and where he fell, was elevated 
above the surrounding plains, giving the General a com- 
manding view of his own and of Montcalm's armies. It 
was a well chosen spot. Fifteen thousand men were en- 
g aged in battle — both Generals lost their lives ; and 
monuments are erected to both. Montcalm's is in the 
Governor's Garden which is near the citadel. They had 
an engagement before on the Plains of Montmorenci below 
the city on the same side, and Wolfe was repulsed ; but 
afterwards he moved his fleet and troops up the river, 
dropped down again in the night, ascended Abraham's 
Plains, and what is now called Wolfe's Cove, and presented 
himself in battle array, daring Montcalm to meet him 
there. He did so, and a few hours extinguished the con- 
trol of France over North America, and gave it to Great 
Britain. The English are proud of this victory to the 
present day. 



DESCRIPTION OF QUEBEC. 47 

The city walls are pierced all along with cannon. Some 
are sixty-four pounders. Generally they are thirty-two 
pounders. A soldier informed us that there are fourteen 
hundred cannon now mounted and daily inspected upon 
the walls ! We have no other than the soldier's authority 
for this, which seems to be a great statement. Armed 
sentries are marching by night and day at the gates and 
at the walls, &c. There are three regiments now here. 
Yesterday I visited the citadel, which is the great fort 
within the city walls, and on the eminence, and witnessed 
the Scotch Regiment of Highlanders paraded in their 
peculiar costume — viz. black shoes, short white gaiters 
blending into green and red checks ascending half way to 
the knee, and there held by a wide scarlet ribband taste- 
fully tied with ends flowing in the wind ; no pantaloons, 
the legs being literally bare to more than half way up the 
thighs ; a Scotch plaid kelt, or short frock, descending 
from the lower ribs a little distance : a hair purse upon the 
abdomen, with five hair tassels and a polished brass top ; 
an English red coat, white facings and shoulder knots ; 
a plaid half-shawl hanging over the back, suspended 
from a green rosette on the left shoulder ; a green and 
white collar ; two white leather belts crossing each other 
before and behind, with a beautiful bright breast plate 
having the number of the Regiment lxxix upon it ; and 
the device of St. Andrew embossed upon it ; a feather 
bonnet, almost as large as the soldier's body, having six 
great black tails hanging down, and six fixed upright, and 
a white one erect upon the left side — all of ostrich feathers 
— the lower part of the bonnet, that which embraces the 
head, being a wide Scotch band of red and white plaid ; 
and a black glazed ammunition pocket or cartouch box 



48 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

crossing the back upon the hips. Such was the uniform. 
We conversed with several of the soldiers, and found 
them to be intelligent men — as all Scotchmen, that we 
ever saw, are. Thej had been in Gibraltar seven years, 
and here three. Thej paraded six hundred strong, at the 
sound of the bugle — the only music on t^e ground, and 
it was wonderful to witness the dexterity and precision of 
their evolutions. Such perfection in military discipline, 
we never saw before. It was worth an hour's rest, after 
a fatiguing walk, to see their movements. This parade 
was within the citadel to which we had access by a pass 
from the Town Major ; who gave us a Highlander in full 
dress as our guide and expounder. It was from his per- 
son, and by his assistance, that we took down the descrip- 
tion of the Highland uniform as we have given it above. 

Afterwards, as we were the same day, that is yesterday, 
passing one of the guards in another part of the city, our 
attention was arrested by an English Artillery Regiment , 
on a square, engaged in discharging minute guns from a 
line of twelve brass howitzers. We were informed of the 
cause of the firing. As we stood witnessing the perform- 
ance, a fat old English lady came waddling along to the 
place where we stood : and with an emphasis, half of ter- 
ror, half of curiosity, addressed us as follows : — " Sir ! 
can you be so kind as to inform me what all this firing is 
for ? " We told her it was in honor of the Queen's ascen- 
sion to the Throne, June 20th. " La ! me ! " exclaimed 
the quieted old lady, " I thought, to be sure, there must 
have been another royal heir born ! " and with this she 
passed on. Enghsh subjects know what to expect when- 
ever they hear the great guns announcing a joyous event, 



DECRIPTION OP QUEBEC. 49 

such events as the birth of new heirs to the throne, being 
very common under Victoria's reign. 

The streets of the city are generally narrow — some, 
particularly those in the lower town, — so narrow as to 
aflford as a sidewalk only one hewn square timber, which 
answers as a passage way for pedestrians and as a step for 
the front doors of the buildings. The edifices are almost 
all of stone, and being built in the old English and French 
styles, have an antique appearance. Some of the stores 
and shops are very finer Of the taverns we can speak of 
but one — the Albion House — the first in the city, the 
first no doubt in price. We saw so much brandy drinking 
in it, that we were glad to leave it for our accommoda- 
tions in the good ship New England as soon as was proper. 
The Churches are numerous, most of them costly and ele- 
gant. Nearly all are Catholic ; there are, however, some 
of other orders ; the Government church (Episcopal) is a 
fine building ; but the Methodist is a richer and hand - 
somer one than that. There are seven times as many 
Catholics as all the other denominations put together. 
Their churches are open all hours of all the days, and 
priests are in waiting to perform the services of the temple; 
we never go in but we see individual Catholics, who have 
turned hither from the streets to perform their daily devo- 
tions. "We like to see the church edifices and the priests 
in waiting, serving the daily purposes of a daily religion for 
the people. Next Sunday is Corpus Christi day, on 
which there is to be a great celebration by all the churches, 
and a procession is to parade through the streets, bearing 
the real body of Christ, amidst ambrosial arches, and 
streets decorated with evergreens and flowers. Bishops 
5 



50 OLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

and Priests, and Monks and Friars, and Nuns and Nov- 
ices are to appear in their gala dresses, and the whole 
procession — perhaps numbering forty thousand Catholics 
from city and suburbs, and country all around, — will 
march to music from the Cathedral, and back to the Cathe- 
dral again. Ought I to go and see it — on the Sabbath ? 
There are no Universahsts here, and, according to the 
Quebec Guide, but seven Unitarians. 

Quebec has suffered terribly from fire and plague. On 
May 28, 18^5, at one fire, 1600 buildings (mostly in the 
suburbs of St. John and St. Roch,) were destroyed ; and in 
precisely one month from that time, June 28, 1400 build- 
ings more were burnt. In 1846 the Theatre was burnt and 
49 persons perished in the flames. In 1847 the city suf- 
fered great mortality by typhus fever ; in 1849 the cholera, 
first brought to this continent, swept off vast numbers ; 
yet for all this Quebec is growing. New and better 
buildings have been erected in the places of the old 
ones. 

It is a great ship-building as well as ship-owning place. 
From thirty-five to forty large ships are built here an- 
nually, — some of them as large as sixteen hundred tons. 
One house. Pollock and Gilmore, (who load our ship,) one 
of whom resides in Glasgow, Scotland, and the other here, 
own no less than one hundred and one full rigged ships, 
sail them on their own account, and insure them themselves. 
We suppose this is the largest house of the kind in the 
world. 

I commenced this letter by an allusion to Montgomery, 
and the place where he fell ; I shall close it by a brief 
account of his patriotic death. 



DESCRIPTION OF QUEBEC. 51 

The war between the two great rival nations of Europ e 
in 1759 was to decide the question whether New England 
or New France should control the destinies of the Ameri- 
can continent. New England had suffered from her 
French and Indian neighbors, and appealed to the mother 
Government for protection and aid. The appeal was 
responded to faithfully. Wolfe was sent, with American 
and EngUsh forces to meet the Marquis de Montcalm at 
Quebec ; and as we have iilreadj said, conquered New 
France in behalf of New England. Montcalm, in dying 
upon the field, uttered the prophecy, that the English ac- 
quisition of Canada would cost Great Britain all her other 
American Colonies. The sequel proved the truth of the 
French General's prediction. The war taught the 
Yankees the art of war, and made them begin to feel their 
power. Against the taxes which the mother government 
imposed upon her American Colonies for the expenses of 
the French war. New England rebelled ; and that rebel- 
lion cost the British throne all her brightest jewels. Six- 
teen years after the conquest of Canada, the Yankees 
undertook to war with England for Independence. Forces 
were sent into Canada, which took Ticonderoga, Niagara, 
Crown Point, St. John, Chamblay, and Montreal ; and 
all that remained to be taken was Quebec. To accom- 
plish this, Arnold was sent through, with an army, by the 
Kennebec, to meet Montgomery who was to advance from 
conquests down the St. Lawrence to this city. The two 
armies arrived in the winter — Arnold's worn out with 
fatigue, cold and hunger. Montgomery came down and 
landed a few miles above the city ; Arnold crossed the 
river below it. By agreement, both were to meet on the 
night of Dec. 31, at Prescott Gate, which is the entrance 



52 GLIMPSES AND GATHEEINGS. 

from the lower town on the St. Lawrence side, and attempt 
to force the gate and storm the city. The two armies 
advanced — Arnold's from below the city, Montgomery's 
from above it. The weather was cold and a snow storm 
that very night obstructed the river road. Both, as they 
entered the precincts ot the lower town, found barricades 
thrown up against them, and had fighting to do as they 
advanced. Montgomery carried one barricade, and mov- 
ing on assaulted the second. In this, he, with thirteen 
others, were shot down, — his troops retreated and could 
not be brought to action again after the fall of their leader. 
Arnold remained encamped near by all winter, but finally 
abandoned the siege. Montgomery's remains were 
removed a few years ago to St. Paul's church in New 
York, where a monument, which I have seen there, is 
erected to his memory. He was a brave man ; and 
his best monument is to be found in the affections of his 
country, 



LETTER V. 

A VIEW FROM THE CABIN WINDOW. 

Ship "New England" — Her Cargo — Manner of Loading — Charming 
Scenery — The Great Timber Boom — Shores about the Cove on 
the South Side of the River — French Cottages — Church, and Tem- 
perance Monuments — Point Levi — Field of Arnold's Encampment 
— View of the City of Quebec from the Bay — Rural Scenery below the 
City on the Northern Shore — Falls of Montmorenci — Battle on the 
Plains of Montmorenci — Wolfe's Stratagem — Orleans Island — Ship- 
Launch and Wreck — Parliament House, Jesuit's College, Governor's 
Gardens — Nunneries — Canadian Market — Women — Agricultural Ca- 
pacities of Lower Canada. 

Quebec, June 22, 1851. 
My last letter was written on a very romantic spot just 
above Quebec on the northern side of the St. Lawrence ; 
this will be written at a place full as beautiful and interest- 
ing as that, two miles and a half below the city, on the 
opposite side of the river. I sit at my desk in an ample 
private state-room of the good ship New England, in 
which I am embarked for London. The ship is one of 
the first class of Maine vessels, worthy to be exhibited at 
the World's Fair, in the metropolis of Nations. She is 
not far from ten hundred tons register, of a beautiful 
model, built in the most substantial manner, and with ex- 
cellent accommodations. She is owned by those enter- 
prising and highly respectable ship-merchants, W. V. & 0. 
Moses of Bath, (to whose liberality I shall always be in- 
debted,) and is commanded by Capt. R. P. Manson, of 



54 GLIMPSES AND aATHERINGS, 

that citj, whom I never saw till I reached this ship, 
but whom I find to be a very intelligent and honorable 
officer and man. He has read much in the best works of 
history, biography, natural science and poetry, and re- 
members well all he has read. Conversation with such a 
man is instructive and pleasing. I think myself fortunate 
in being found in such a ship, and under such command. 
The New England lies for loading at Indian Cove, which 
is a large recess into the main land just below Point Levi. 
Her cargo consists of deals, which are three inch plank, 
carried out to England, there to be sawed by hand into 
boards and other small lumber. Nothing thinner is 
allowed to be carried to England. This is an arrange- 
ment on the side of humanity to the poor laboring classes. 
The deals, thus cut up at home by hand, give employment, 
to a great amount of labor in the mother country* 
There are fourteen other large ships, three Yankee and 
eleven English, loading at the same Cove and in close 
proximity to our ship — all bound for Great Britain and 
Scotland. The ships are loaded not by their own crews, 
but by French Canadians employed by stevedores for this 
purpose ; the deals are brought alongside in lighters, and 
the merry songs and outlandish jabberings of the workmen 
take all the lonesomeness out of the place, and make it one 
of constant excitement. Our own ship will take in between 
eight and nine hundred thousand feet of lumber for her 
load ; and her loading, we expect, will be completed to- 
morrow, after which we shall be away, away for the sea, 
the deep blue sea. 

I would like for you to have a view of our situation and 
the scenery around us. I wish I was a painter ; I would 
like to take it on canvass and retain it as long as I live. 



A VIEW FROM THE CABIN WINDOW. 53 

Suppose yourself, then, to be on the southern side of the 
river St. Lawrence, two miles and a half below the walled 
city of Quebec. A Cove a fourth of a mile deep and a 
whole mile long, makes in from the main channel of the 
river. This Cove is bare at low water, and its bottom 
is laid by nature with one vast slab of smooth slate stone, 
— so that it is always clean and hard ; never muddy and 
soft. From the two horns of the Cove, high wharves extend 
out to the deep waters of the river, thus making the basin 
more secure. Sluice-ways in the lower wharf allow chips 
and whatever else may gather in the Cove, which is now 
one vast boom, to pass out ; thus preventing all foul accu- 
mulations. From the ends of the two wharves at the 
opposite termini of the Cove, and running parallel with the 
main river, a boom is extended, which consists not of round 
logs chained together, but a floating bridge of huge logs 
hewn and matched, making a dry and elevated walk the 
whole distance — one mile. This floating bridge or boom 
has occassionalr joints in it, which may be detached at plea 
sure for the inorress or e^ess of lumber. It is the best 
plan for a boom, and the most perfect one that I ever saw. 
You will see it is very large, but large as it is, it is full 
of immense logs, of hewn timber, pine and oak. I paced 
some of the w^hite oak sticks, that squared three feet at 
the bottom and measured sixty-five feet straight without a 
limb. Not a round stick is amongst the whole. It is 
all fitted for the ships, and for hand operations in England. 
Without the boom, in the deeper Vr^aters of the river, near 
the lower end, and in the vicinity of the long wharf that ex- 
tends out as the eastern arm of the basin, are built up six or 
eight large quadrangular piers, where ships lie for loading. 
They have no connexion with the land, nor even with the 



56 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

boom, except by water in boats. These piers, and both 
long wharves, and the dry yards around the shores of the 
boom, are piled with deals, oak timber, staves, &c. Of 
course there must be an immense amount of lumber here, 
to keep a dozen or fifteen great ships loading all the time 
the whole season. This boom is owned by one concern, 
and is but one of three like it which they own near 
the city. 

The shores on the Cove are well cultivated and pic- 
turesque, consisting of small farms, gardens, French 
cottages, washed and painted white, and the customary 
outbuildings. The upper boundary of the Cove is Point 
Levi, whose territory, however, continues up the bank of 
the river, opposite the city two miles. The whole road is 
thickly settled with Canadian French ; and about half 
way up is a village with a great French Church, built with 
as little regard to cost as if it was designed as an orna- 
ment to a large city. Attached to it are the Priest's 
house and the consecrated burying-ground. Near this, 
is a high and handsome Temperance Monument, with a 
crucifix on the apex, that was erected a year or two ago 
on the Father Mathew principle. We are told that the 
Catholic Priest took the cause of temperance in hand 
himself; and that, whereas, when he began. Point Levi 
abounded in grog shops that were always full of drunken 
Canadians ; now there is not a place on the whole Point 
where rum can be had, nor is there a man known to drink 
any sort of alcoholic drinks. We have seen hundreds of 
them at work on the great boom, in the water, on the 
piers and wharves, and in the ships, loading them ; and 
have not seen one who appears to have tasted of a drop of 
anything that can intoxicate. Is not this a glorious work ? 



A \1EW FROM THE CABIN WINDOW. 57 

If the Catholic religion can do this, we shall call it, so far, 
the Christian religion. In front of a beautiful grove, on 
Point Levi, nearly opposite the city and within cannon 
shot, has been pointed out to us the field on which Arnold 
encamped after his arrival from the Kennebec. 

But the scenery from our ship, more beautiful than all 
the rest, appears on the opposite side of the river, which 
here is three miles distant — making a basin or bay below 
the city. Up the river (west), Quebec, both in its upper 
and lower towns appears in full view ; with its forests of 
masts at the wharves of the latter, and its fortified walls 
around the former, tall spires shooting up from the 
churches, and the whole crowned by the natural dome on 
which the American Gibraltar, the Citadel, is built. Below 
the city, we see also the mouth of the St Charles as it 
unites with the St. Lawrence from the northwest. 

Down river, tracing the circular shores of this basin 
nine miles, we notice a level and fertile country, cut into 
handsome farms, with a great road, settled like a village of 
white cottages the whole distance, till it reaches the Falls 
of Montmorenci, which are directly opposite us in full 
view. These Falls are a great natural curiosity, and no 
one would ever think of leaving Quebec without visiting 
them. Though not so large, they are thought by many to 
be better worth a view, than Niagara. From the position 
in which I write, I can give the reader a correct, but 
distant idea of them. 

Suppose yourself to be looking across a bay of deep 
waters, three miles wide, to a shore which rises by a slate 
wall three hundred feet high, the horizontal line of it being 
as regular as the level surface of the adjacent bay. From 
this high bank, the land, as it recedes, rises very gradually 



58 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

for miles, presenting a rich and cultivated appearance, 
equal to anything about our Yankee cities, till in the 
distance, well covered mountains appear at the north. In 
these mountains the Montmorenci river rises. Accumulat- 
ing volume from tributary streams, as it passes amongst 
distant mountains and hills, when it reaches the plains, it 
has become about as large as the Kennebec, at Augusta. 
Slowly its deep waters move in their bed upon the grad- 
ually descending plains, till reaching the end of them at 
the river's brink, suddenly they are precipitated in one 
wide sheet over the nearly perpendicular wall, 240 feet, to 
the rocky beach of the St. Lawrence. It is, doubtless, 
the most perfect and magnificent cascade in the world. If 
an Augusta reader would suppose the Kennebec bridge 
raised two hundred and forty feet in the air, as a structure 
of solid masonry, with a rocky wall upon the lower side, 
varying just enough from a perpendicular to break the 
falling waters all the way and keep them in milky white- 
ness ; if he Avould also suppose that by any contrivance of 
art or nature all the waters of the upper Kennebec could 
be incessantly poured in one wide sheet over that high 
structure and be precipitated into the chasm which itself 
had worn into the rocks below, he would have a tolerable 
idea of one interesting object that is always before our 
eyes from the ship's deck — the famous Falls of Mont- 
morenci. 

It was on the plains of Montmorenci, between the Falls 
and the city, that Montcalm encamped with his army in 
1759, waiting the tug of war with Wolfe. The great 
Island of Orleans lies at the foot of this basin or bay, in 
the middle of the St Lawrence. The head of the island 
is just below a direct line from us to the Falls of Mont^ 



A VIEW FROM THE CABIN WINDOW. 59 

morenci. It is a cultivated and thickly settled Island 
where ships are built, &c. When Wolfe arrived from Eng- 
land, he landed on this Island with his troops. Ultimately, 
he removed across the northern channel of the St. Law- 
rence and encamped on the plains below the Falls, looking 
at Montcalm above them, the Montmorenci river alone 
separating the two armies. Finally, Wolfe crossed the 
stream and gave him battle, but with ill success. He was 
repulsed, and retreated to Orleans Island. Here he 
became quite discouraged, and it is said, sent word to 
England that he must give up all hope of ever taking 
Quebec. But his courage revived and he determined to 
meet Montcalm by stratagem. So he moved his fleet up 
river several miles, as if abandoning his operations on 
Quebec, and as if proceeding to join the English forces at 
Montreal. In the night, however, he dropped his fleet 
down river again, and landed his army on Abraham's 
Plains, just above the city. The stratagem succeeded. 
Montcalm, supposing it could be only a detachment of the 
enemy's force now upon' the Plains, did not remove his 
army within the walls of the city to defend it by its can- 
non, but marched openly up to the Plains of Abraham, 
and there " caught a Tartar." Wolfe himself was there 
with his whole army, to fight the French, not behind the 
city walls, but in open field. They fought ; both generals 
fell ; but the English were victorious and have held Quebec 
and the Canadas to this day. 

Though, when on ship-board, I am beyond the excite- 
ment of city life, yet even here I enjoy much the sight of 
Nature's glorious scenery ; nor is the busy motion about 
the boom, and pier, and ships, destitute of interest. Day 
before yesterday, a splendid ship was launched from the 



60. GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

head of Orleans Island. She went off gracefully ; but no 
sooner was she in the Hquid element, than the current took 
her, and threw her upon the sharp rocks, near the yard 
where she was built. The tide rises and falls here twenty- 
feet. When it was low water, there she was high and dry 
again, but on her beam ends, much injured. Last night, 
the merciless tide, resolved on her destruction, took her 
off again, and carried her down stream — we know not 
how far — probably to be made a premature wreck of. It 
is a sad sight to see such a beautiful object — the embodi- 
ment of so much labor and treasure — wrecked before 
answering the purposes of her existence. But thus it is 
even with humanity ; many a youth, in strength and in 
beauty, suddenly parts with life, and is laid to moulder in 
the grave, without appearing to have accomplished the 
great purposes of his promising existence. 

There are many objects of curiosity and interest in 
Quebec, which I have not been able to speak of in my 
letters from this city — such as the Parliament House, 
which, by the way, is now having a new wing added to it, 
for the reception of the Provincial Legislature, that is to 
be removed from Toronto to Quebec next winter; the 
Bishop's Palace ; the Governor's Garden ; the Jesuit's 
College ; the Nunneries, &c. There are two or three 
Market houses ; but the principal markets are on squares 
and wharves, where women sit in carts — precisely such 
carts as we see Canadians hauling dirt in with us — 
which are arranged in regular files in great numbers. 
The women sit on the coarse board seat facing the hinder 
part of the rude cart, and there expose for sale their 
vegetables, meats, butter, &c. Canadians are not Yan- 
kees, nor is Canadian style Yankee style. The streets are 



A VIEW FROM THE CABIN WINDOW. 61 

generally narrow and dirty, and numerous dog carts are to 
be seen in all directions. A large majority of the lingo we 
hear in taverns, shops and markets, is in French. We 
wonder that English power in Canada has not been able 
to AngUcise the people. But French CathoHcism, which 
early acquired the control, is no friend to English Epis- 
copacy, or Yankee Puritanism ; and it is to this circum- 
stance, I suppose, we are to attribute the tardy advance 
of English customs and manners amongst the people. 

I have been disappointed in all this country as an 
agricultural region. Better land does not lie out of doors, 
than is to be found from Lake Champlain to the St. 
Lawrence, and from Montreal to Quebec. I know the 
winters are long, and the summers short ; yet no better 
grass, oats, rye, wheat, potatoes, turnips and other vege- 
tables, are to be raised on our Continent, and no crops 
are surer or more abundant. I see no corn fields. I find 
the country, also, better settled than I expected, and 
giving more evidence of thrift and comfort. All the 
cottages up and down the river, and in the interior as far 
as we can see, are white, and have an air of neatness ; 
they are, however, not generally painted houses, but 
whitewashed, and appear better at a distance than on a 
closer inspection. I can point to many parts of our own 
State that do not appear so independent and happy as the 
rural districts of the St. Lawrence. If this can be done 
by mongrel French in Canada, what can be done, or rather 
what may not be done, by Yankees on the more southern 
lands of the Aroostook ? 
Q 



LETTER VI. 

CELEBRATION OF CORPUS CHRIST!. 

A Sabbath in Quebec — Corpus Christi Day — Streets lined with Evergreen 
Trees and arched — Full of People— Grand Procession — Description 
of the Diflferent Orders in Procession — The Real Body of Christ in si 
Wafer — Rival Chimes of Rival Church Bells — The Cathedral — Mag- 
nificence of the Interior — Pomp and Ceremony — Visit to the Episcopal 
Cathedral — The Rev. Doctor's Sermon — Quietness of the City on Sab- 
bath — Crossing the Ferry — Feast of God on Point Levi — Significancef 
of the Catholic signs. 

Quebec, June 23, 1851. 

In my present Letter, I must attempt to give a 
description of a most imposing observance of the Lord's 
Day in Quebec. 

Yesterday was the Sabbath. I did not choose- to kee^ 
it in entire solitude and silence. We are to worship God 
in secret ; but not always alone. God made us to be 
social beings, and helpers of each other's joy. The happi- 
ness of heaven is not a selfish bliss ; the praises of heaven 
are not a solitary homage. Each angel, as he gives 
expression to his holy affections, goes not away by himself 
from the company of fellow spirits, there to utter his 
praises ; but, united to all other hearts by the chain of 
love, which, commencing in the divine throne, binds the 
whole family of heaven together, he unites his voice with 
the myriads of other voices, which, in happy unison, ascend 
in paeans of praise to God and the Lamb forever. Feeling 



CELEBRATION OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 63 

a desire to mingle with my fellow-men in a proper observ- 
ance of the Sabbath, I yesterday took passage from our 
ship with the pilot in, his boat for Quebec. The wind was 
blowing almost a gale upon our stern ; the waves of the 
Bay were seas that made the proud ships of Tarshish dance 
right merrily ; the pilot spread his sails wing-wing, and 
away we bounded like a very thing of life, " sometimes 
up, and sometimes down," but all the time scudding with 
more than steamboat celerity. • It was one of the most 
exciting sails I ever took. The pilot was a good Catholic ; 
and naturally aiFable and polite, he undertook to expatiate 
on the glories of the holy day, rather the hoU'-day, that 
was to be observed by the church, not only in the city, but 
throughout Christendom. He said, there was to be " one 
grand Procession," in which the "body of Christ" was to 
be borne ; and he strongly desired we should behold it. 
So, on arriving at the city, we hastened away to the Cathe- 
dral, there to take our stand, and witness the solemn cere- 
monies that were to come off. Our pilot piloted us aright, 
and stood by, with ready ears and glistening eyes, to hear 
and explain all our interrogatories. 

When we arrived at the church, we found the Proces- 
sion was on the march — having already gone through 8t. 
John's Gate towards the Parish of St. Roch ; we could 
hear the music of bugles and horns and drums in the dis- 
tance. Our pilot guided us to St. John's Gate, there to 
remain posted till the Procession should return. Mean- 
while, we found every street, through which the procession 
moved, lined with evergreen trees planted on both sides 
for the occasion, and here and there decorated with amar- 
anthine arches and canopies thrown over the way, and flags 
of all nations and colors and emblems of various descrip- 



64 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

tions strung across the streets, from the tops of the build- 
ings. The wind was high and the flags performed a hvelj 
duty for the occasion. The trees set out were mostly fir, 
cedar and spruce ; they were large, varying in height 
from ten to twenty feet, and extending several miles in 
length ; the cost of collecting and planting them must have 
been considerable. 

In due time the Procession was seen approaching from 
the suburbs, and re-entered the high gate of St. John 
w here sentries of Scotch Highlanders in full uniform, 
were marching guard. A herald, with drawn sword, and 
clad in regalia of red and white, led the way, followed by 
three stalwart Catholics, bare headed, dressed in flowing 
blue cloaks with scarlet capes and fronts, — the middle 
one bearing a large silk velvet crimson banner, deeply 
fringed with gold tassels and lace, and having in its centre 
an image of Christ on the cross with the two Marys at its 
side, weeping. His companions supported the right and 
left of the banner, by ribbons of white, red and blue 
attached to its sides. The violence of the wind at times 
required the strength of all three at the standard, to hold 
the flowing banner up in the air. The liosts of Israel 
were in two lines, occupying opposite sides of the streets 
and marching in single file near the curb stones of the 
sidewalk. The officers and dignitaries of the church were 
in the centre of the street, marching sometimes alone, 
sometimes in groups of threes, fives, sevens, &c. It is 
well to say here, that every man's and boy's hat was off, 
and every female's head was covered only with a white 
cap, or a cap and lace veil. First came small boys clad 
in black, with blue sashes ; between the lines of these was 
a friar in black crape robes, and white band suspended from 



CELEBRATION OP CORPUS CHRISTI. 65 

the chin. Next were lines of larger boys in sky-blue 
dresses, and purple scarfs ; two friars with books in hand 
were within these ; next, small girls in pink dresses covered 
bj white lace mantles and caps, the very image of the 
Graces ; next the Nuns clad in purest white hnen with 
fine white lace veils covering their heads and extending 
almost to the pavements. It is difficult to describe any 
thing more beautiful than the hundreds of these sisters of 
Charity thus dressed in the uniform of angels ; other wo- 
men, with appropriate dresses followed these, and men, in 
numbers that we could not estimate, came after them. 
But mark ; all the way down between this longo agmine, 
this long extended train, were paraded, in the middle of 
the street, the various dignitaries of the church, dressed 
in their canonicals and accompanied by banners of fine 
paintings and flags and lanterns, and all sorts of insignia. 
As each banner passed, the people who lined the side- 
walks bowed reverently. 

The last section appeared to be the most consequential 
and imposing. This was led by the band, that discoursed 
music equal to any ever heard on Boston Common from 
the Boston Brigade Band. Then came a retinue of 
Priests, clad in vestments of gold and silver and silk, of 
all colors, wrought into many significant designs — the 
richest dresses we ever saw. Next a man in rich attire 
bearing a silver cross high in the air ; then a hollow square 
of invested priests ; following these were four boys in 
entire white, bearing large batons ; then came the sacred 
Ark borne by four youths clad in pink satin, with sashes 
and rosettes of sky blue ; lastly came the real Body of 
Christ, the Corjms Christi, under the richest canopy of 
crimsom silk, hung in gold lace that faded into the light of 
6* 



66 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

silver fringes. It was borne by four Priests upon Corin- 
thian pillars hung with drab crape, and enlightened on 
either side bj four golden lant-erns, with tapers burning 
within them, and elevated on gilt rods by men in sacerdotal 
robes. Under this canopy was the venerable Archbishop, 
attended by subordinate Bishops, and clad from head to 
foot in raiment as . rich as gold and silver and precious 
stones and silk and satin could make it, himself bearing 
the real body of Christ (so it was pretended,) for the bene- 
diction of the people. But, reader, what do you suppose 
that body was ? — merely a piece of white, unleavened 
paste, about the size and shape of a dollar, enclosed in a 
silver plate quite as large as an old fashioned platter, 
that was made to represent a halo, or sun in its glory, the 
centre of which was a glass casket occupied by the con- 
secrated bread now having become the real body of 
Him that was crucified ! The Catholics as much believe, 
as they believe they are alive, that this is a part of the 
real body of Christ. It is carried out into the world, all 
over the w^orld, once a year, in order that Christ may yet 
be about, as he was in Judea of old, blessing the people 
by his miracles. No doubt we shall hear of many miracles 
performed in Catholic houses after this — such as healing 
the sick, and even raising the dead. If it would perform 
the greater miracle of enlightening the ignorant, curing 
superstition, and amending the life, I should have more 
faith in it. 

We kept pace with the grand procession from St John's 
Grate, the whole length of St. John's Street, to its head, 
where the mammoth French Cathedral is situated, wit- 
nessing the images, paintings, costumes, furniture, music 
and performers. Arrived near the church we halted to 



CELEBRATION OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 67 

see the whole pass. As we stood here, the chimes of the 
English Church, just over the way, began, either in rever- 
ence to the day, or in contempt of this gorgeous parade, 
to peal, from the solemn bells of its huge tower, the good 
old tune, Brattle street or Hjmn Second, the words of 
which are as follows : 

"Whilst Thee I seek; protecting Power ! 

Be my vain wishes still'd ; 
And may this consecrated hour 

With better hopes be filled." 

It was a cold hint, to say the least, and the bells were 
answerable to the whole city for it. Passing under several 
lines of national colors, and one grand arch of evergreen, 
charged with flowers, the procession reversed order, and 
the Archbishop with the Body under the golden canopy 
leading the way, entered the Church. "We crowded in 
after them, and were jammed into a small corner near a 
vase of holy water by the door. In the distance, at the 
east end of the church, where the Altar and Sacrament 
are, were magnificence and glory, indeed, — at least, so far 
as gold and silver and sculpture and paintings and fire 
and light and smoke and incense and Te Deums and 
the gesticulations and ceremonies of ready priests, could 
bring glory down to men. The altar gleamed with burn- 
ing candles, clustered in groups of sixes and sevens, like 
twinkling stars, and ascending into the very (painted) 
heavens above. The Archbishop, the Bishop and the 
Priests bowed and kneeled again and again before the 
image of Jesus. The Ark of the Covenant stood before 
it, and fire came down from heaven and produced a 
blaze that soon filled the whole house with the fragrance of 
frankincense and myrrh. Meanwhile a row of priests 



68 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

threw up silver globes, with chains suspended, and caught 
them again with the dexterity of Signer Blitz ; as they 
sent them up, smoke issued from the tops of them, an in- 
cense which bore the chants and prayers to heaven that 
were at the same time being uttered by the whole congre- 
gation — perhaps ten thousand — on their knees. This 
was High Mass. When it was over, the organ thundered 
a quick step, and the officers on parade at the altar 
marched in companies to neighboring doors and disappear- 
ed. We withdrew with the audience, wondering why 
Jesus Christ and Peter and John and Paul did not do 
just so when they were on earth ! But the world has 
improved, and the church has improved greatly since 
those old fashioned days of simplicity and common sense. 
It was now but eleven o'clock, just in service time to 
enter the Episcopal Church, whose saucy bells had chimed 
a hint to the Sunday trainers ; and so we repaired to that 
place and took a seat. There was room enough — the 
church not being a quarter full. Every thing around us 
looked as Catholic as it would do to have it look, and not 
he Catholic. The broad aisle was filled with cross seats, 
as the Catholic churches are, for common people to sit on ; 
the altar, and the window behind it, and the images 
and paintings on the walls of the recess, were like Catholic 
ones, but not half so imposing or significant as the originals ; 
there were four priests officiating at the altar, clad in 
white robes with black scarfs ; a mahogany rostrum, 
ascended by spiral steps, stood at the head of the aisle ; 
something like it projected from the wall of the recess, 
hung with British flags, which I suppose was for the 
occupancy of the Gov. General, if he should be there, as 
he was not ; on the gallery side was the English Coat of 



CELEBRATION OF CORPUS CHRISTI. 69 

Arms, the Lion and the Unicorn standing forth in carved 
figures gilded, to indicate that the gallery seats in that 
neighborhood are for the occupancy of the soldiers. 
Occasionally about the house, in the pews, we saw red 
coats and yellow epauletts and gold lace, worshipping God. 
After all the prayers were read and other ceremonies 
performed — a very distant imitation of the Catholic — 
a good fat, well-to-live priest, having changed his gown 
from white to black, ascended the rostrum, and began to 
read his sermon. He evidently did not suppose anybody 
was paying attention to his articulations, and he read as if 
he was under pay for the performance of his task, and 
would 'be glad when he got through. His name was 
Mackay, and he has the doctorate — the Rev. Dr. Mackay 
— of course, a learned and great man. His text was, 
'' Of a truth I perceive God is no respecter of persons." 
From this, he proceeded to argue^ that " God, in the exer- 
cise of his grace, is a respecter of persons," — I give his 
identical words ; and thence went on to defend the doc- 
trines of partial election, predestination, reprobation, &c. 
It was what might be expected of an English Church-and-' 
State man ; it maintained the aristocracy of heaven in 
plain terms. After several powerful arguments^ he set off, 
satisfied that his text, though true in the Bible, is not true 
in the Church ; and made it out as clear as mud, that God 
is a respecter of persons. It takes great learning thus to 
change the truth of God into a lie. It was the baldest and 
nakedest Calvinism that we have heard these thirty years. 
It would not do for an Episcopalian in the States to preach 
thus. He would need something besides an aristocracy to 
support him there ; and all the rest he would drive away 



70 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

from him. There must be the meal of republicanism on 
the trencher of an English trap set in the United States. 

On leaving the church, we found the city as quiet and 
orderly as any Yankee city. At the Ferry wharf, there 
were, indeed, a few women at stands, selling fruit and 
cakes ; but generally every sort of business was hushed. 
The wind blew, and it began to rain. Being Sunday, there 
were no Caleches on the other side of the Ferry waiting 
for passengers ; and we had to foot it nearly three miles 
to our good ship, New England. Half way there, on Point 
Levi, near the CathoHc church, we came to a street studded 
with evergreen trees, and arched overhead, with flags 
flying. Here, too, there had been a Procession, as in the 
city. For rest, we called at a French apothecary's shop, 
which was open, and inquired into the significancy of all 
the strange doings of the day. He was a Catholic, and an 
educated man ; but he could not command the English 
language well enough to explain things as he wished. Of 
course, we got not much light from him, only that the fes- 
tival was the Feast of God, — this is its name ; — Corpus 
Christi, applying not to the day, but to the consecrated 
wafer borne amongst the people. For us he explained the 
ceremony of crossing themselves at the vases of holy water 
and at the altar, &c. — the fingers first touch the fore- 
head, and the worshipper says, mentally, " in the name of 
the Father" ; then they touch the pit of the stomach, and 
he says "and of the Son;" then the left breast, and he 
says " and of the Holy Ghost," and bringing the hand 
thence across to the right breast, he utters " Amen." 
This, it will be perceived, describes a cross. All Cath- 
olics understand the sign, and perform it often. We will 



CELEBRATION OP CORPUS CHRISTI. 71 

not say they are not sincere ; they certainly appear very 
honest and devout; God looketh to the hearty and if he 
finds that right, however its righteousness may be obscured 
and buried beneath a rubbish of ceremonies, no doubt he 
will smile upon the worshipper and reward him according 
to liis works. We have learned to be charitable towards 
all men. 



LETTER VII. 

MATTERS ABOUT CANADA, QUEBEC, AND THE SHIP. 

Waiting for fait weather— 'Unwonted rest --"An entire Retreat — Maine 
, Convention — New France andNew England — The Battle on Abraham's 
Plains decided the Supremacy of England over France in America — 
Canada ought to be one of the United States — Ladies of Quebec — Ita 
Belle — Sir James Stuart, a fellow-passenger ^— Carriages and Dog-Carta 
in the City — Montcalm's Monument -=• Shipping in Quebec. 

Quebec, JtJNE 25, 185L 
Here I am yet in Quebec * — or rather, in the noble ship 
" N^ew JEngland,''^ (an appropriate name for a Yankee re- 
presentative to go to Old England in,) which is not in Que- 
bec, but in the St. Lawrence River, two and a half miles be- 
low the citj, and bejond its municipal boundaries and laws. 
The violent easterly storm that has raged here for the last 
two or three days, has prevented the lighters coming along- 
side with deals to load into our hold, and consequently 
time is lost, no work is going on, and we are waiting for 
fair weather, in order that the ship, being loaded, may 
spread her broad wings to the breeze of heaven, and be off 
for London. I will not say that time drags heavily, though 
I have been on shipboard a week, doing nothing but work 
all the time — ' work, not indeed upon the rigging, nor in 
the hold, but at the Captain's table, or in my own ample 
state-room, arranging my papers, studying my guide 
books, statistics, &c., of England and London, and writing 
to you publicly, and to my other dear friends privately, whom 



MATTERS ABOUT CANADA, ETC. 75 

I have left behind ; — behind, not in thought, not in affec- 
tion, not in prayers ; but in bodilj presence only. I never 
allow myself to be idle ; but can always find enough to do, 
at home and abroad. I have now, however, come the 
nearest to absolute rest, that I have known or enjoyed 
since I became a man, or within the compass of my mem- 
ory. Was I ever in such a condition so favorable to soli- 
tude as now ? Never. Where am I ? Not in beautiful 
Augusta, nor in any of its suburban retreats ; not within 
the territory of my own Commonwealth, nor subject to the 
government of the North Star State. Nay, I am escaped 
from all of Uncle Sam's dominions, where President Fillmore 
is no longer President to me, and am under petticoat govern- 
ment, within the domains of Her Majesty Victoria, by the 
grace of God Queen of Great Britain, Scotland and Ire- 
land, and Defender of the Faith. Though not her Subject, 
I am " subject " to her power — a power, however, which) 
jjer se, is very limited after all — small in comparison with 
the Repubhcan power of the Head of Government at 
Washington. Thus retreated, even here in Canada, I am 
doubly retreated from the haunts of men, and of some 
animals, called men Away from the city, away from the 
land, away even from its shores, or wharves thereupon, I 
am snugly ensconsed in a little side room, which makes 
out of the state cabin of a ship that lies at a solitary pier 
erected in the open stream of the mighty St. Lawrence. 
Sheriffs canot find me, intruders cannot break into the 
sanctuary of my retreat, and I fear no disturbance from 
men. If any of their tongues are busy with scandalizin g 
reports and falsehoods — as too often some have been of 
late, — as a punishment on me for daring to have a con- 
7 



74 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

science, — thank God, I am just now where, at least, I 
cannot hear their calumnies. The winds of heaven bring 
me no reports of " wrong and outrage," and all the voices 
I hear from men, are the unintelligible, but musical, lingo 
of merry French workmen, or the kind and civil words of 
as kind a captain and crew as ever performed a skilful 
duty on the deck of a New England ship. Alone, I can 
breathe and think and read and am where " thus alone, 
alone the least." 

" I am alone ; and yet 

In the still solitude there is a rush 
Around me, as were met 
A crowd of viewless wings ; I hear a gush 
Of uttered harmonies." 

I do remember, however, this day — and the thought 
makes me discontented at times, that my religious brethren 
of the Maine Convention are gathered together in Turner, 
whilst here I write, — devising ways and means for the 
furtherance of Gospel truth and righteousness amongst 
the people. I cannot forget such a gathering. My con- 
nection with the Convention, then the Eastern Association, 
began in October, 1820, and I attended its first meeting 
thereafter in Winthrop the following June ; with only three 
or four exceptions, I have been present, and taken an 
active part in the deliberations of the Convention ever 
since. Then I could hardly look forward and promise 
myself, that I should be able to maintain a connection with 
it, without disgrace to myself, or to the cause, for thirty 
years ; but God has preserved a life, naturally feeble, and 
kindly enabled me to maintain " a conscience void of offence 
towards God and man." For this, indeed, I have some- 
times suffered ; but He who built my bark of life, and 
launched it upon life's stormy ocean, built it not of a shape 
to escape the rains and storms, but rather to endure and 



MATTERS ABOUT CANADA, ETC. 75 

outride them. I thank him this day, here upon the mighty 
waters, that I have hitherto found " his grace sufficient for 
me ; " and to that grace I still will reverently trust, that 
He will guide me on the remaining journey of life, smooth 
for me a path on the ocean's rugged way, and give me an 
abundant entrance at last into that celestial Canaan beyond 
the floods, whose Jerusalem is the capital of Zion, and the 
Mother of us all. My love and my prayers arise from this 
distant retreat in behalf of my brethren assembled in Con- 
vention this day. " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem — 
they shall prosper that love thee. For my brethren and 
companions' sake, I will now say, Peace be within thee. 
Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy 
good." 

There are some matters about Canada, Quebec, and our 
ship, which, as I have not spoken of hitherto, and have 
now a little leisure to " gather up the fragments," I will 
occupy a small space in mentioning. 

Two or three hundred years ago, England and France 
started on a race for the magnificent prize of supremacy 
in America. The advantages and difficulties of the race 
were alike ; but the systems by which they would achieve 
their object, were different. New France was colonized by 
a Government ; New England^ by a Peo'ple. The men 
who governed Canada, were only the agents of the Mother 
country, for whose benefit, all the cream that could be 
raised upon the new world, was to be skimmed off, and 
carried across the Atlantic. France established a feudal 
and ecclesiastical frame-work for a young nation, which 
planted castles, and built towers and monasteries and con- 
vents and cathedrals. Thus she laid a Procrustean bedstead 
to whose dimensions, civil and religious, all things must con- 



76 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

form. The State was every thing — the People nothing. 
The Catholic missions taught implicit obedience. It is a 
remarkable fact, that during all the government of France 
m Acadia, not one printing-press was in operation ! 

A few years after, there came a band of religious men, 
a church of Protestant pilgrims, and settled New England 
at Plymouth. They came not as the agents of a Govern- 
ment, but almost in defiance of it ; not with a love for the 
Power which drove them hither, but with a just hatred and 
abhorrence of it. They came with the love of liberty 
burning in their bones, and resolved to enjoy it or perish. 
They had no strong arm to protect them ; they were 
neither rich nor poor. Amidst all their responsibilities and 
perils, they trusted in God, and their own right arm ; not 
in British gold. In one hundred and fifty years the British 
inhabitants exceeded the French, twenty to one ! The 
English, in 1759, swept over Canada, and took Quebec. 
Montcalm fell, and the French power departed. To pay 
the expense of his fall, England taxed her American Colo- 
nies. Boston rebelled. Massachusetts resisted the stamp 
act and the tea tax. The other colonies joined in refusing 
to be taxed without representation, and Lafayette came 
over to avenge the fall of Montcalm. Thus the conquest 
of Quebec, as Montcalm predicted before he fell, cost the 
British nation about all its other colonies ! 

Canada ought to be one of the United States, and at no 
distant day, I trust, will be. Republicanism must yet 
govern this whole continent. This is the "manifest 
destiny." Meanwhile, let a friendly, social, and commer- 
cial intercourse be established between conquered Canada 
and unconquered New England. This will propagate 
common sentiments and sympathies, and make us finally 



MATTERS ABOUT CANADA, ETC. 77 

one. I can but believe that the successful operation of 
the Atlantic and St. Lawrence Railroad will not only open 
a great thoroughfare of business, but prove a grand artery 
that will make one of two great communities. Last year, 
a large party of New Yorkers and Bostonians came to 
Montreal and Quebec on a visit. This visit was exceed- 
ingly acceptable to the Canadians, and they will never 
forget it. They speak of it often, and whenever they see 
a Yankee, seem to feel better acquainted with him on that 
account. Yesterday, another party from Boston — two 
hundred strong — arrived here ; and the fact has thrown 
the whole city into an ecstasy. I verily believe, that all 
which is wanted is intercourse, friendly intercourse, to win 
Canada over to the States. 

I do not think the ladies of Quebec are handsome — 
at least, I have seen none whose beauty consists in dress 
half so much as it does in New England. Generally, they 
are not at the trouble and expense of carrying about upon 
their persons through the streets and in other public 
places, a large and costly quantity of silks and jewelry for 
people to look and stare at as they exhibit themselves. I 
am told, however, there is one beautiful female body and 
mind in the city — the confessed belle of Quebec — the 
daughter of the Chief Justice of all the Canadas, Sir 
James Stuart. I have not seen her, nor her father, but 
expect to have this privilege soon ; for to-morrow both 
Sir James and the Belle, with a son and servant, are 
coming on board our ship to take passage with us to 
London. They, with brother Preston, my son William 
and myself, will constitute the whole passenger party of 
the ship. The Judge is to have a cow brought on board 
for milk, and four fat wethers for fresh mutton, on the 
7* 



78 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

way. I understand he is an intelligent, accessible, and 
much respected gentleman. The principal carriages in 
Montreal and Quebec are caleches, pronounced Calashes. 
They are like an old-fashioned, two-wheel chaise, without 
a top, having a seat for two passengers, and one cushioned 
stool, where the fender should be, for the driver. The 
springs and shafts and axletrees, are of wood, and that 
of the largest size. They would make excellent drays, 
only take the tub off. I rode around Montreal mountain, 
nine miles, in one of them, and glad enough was I to get 
out of it again. After landing from the ship here, we 
ride to and from the city in those uncomfortable vehicles. 
Occasionally, we find a handsome carriage ; but generally 
see nothing more honorable for women to ride in about 
the city, than a Canadian wagon-body on two cart-wheels. 
A Yankee female would not be seen in one of them 
anywhere ; but the Canadian ladies ride forth in them 
with as much nonchalance, and self-seeming, as if they 
were the head of creation. 

Many dog-carts are to be seen all over the city ; and 
often I notice a span of large mastiffs harnessed, carrying 
off a man, or a heavy load of something else. I saw one 
dog, the other day, backing a cart down Mountain street, 
loaded with a half barrel of — something ; and he obeyed 
the boy who drove him as promptly as a horse could have 
done. 

The monument to Montcalm, in the Governor's Garden, 
is a noble structure. It is of hewn stone, very large at 
the base, and rising, I should judge, fifty feet high. On 
it is a long inscription in Latin. His body does not repose 
beneath it; but in a tomb under the French Cathedral. 



MATTERS ABOUT CANADA, ETC. 79 

Some idea of the navigation of Quebec may be inferred 
from the fact, that there are three hundred Pilots in com- 
mission, and that they all have business enough in the sea- 
son. I cannot resist the impression that the Yankees 
would do well to load their ships here with lumber for Eng- 
land and the colonies. Our ships once acquired wealth 
for their owners by carrying timber to Great Britain from 
Wiscasset — why not now from Quebec ? There are thir- 
teen large ships lying at Indian Cove, made fast to piers 
which are erected out in the river, in the neighborhood of 
our ship — quite a nautical family ; and most of them are 
so near us that we can converse from one to the other. 
Their names and places of ownership are as follows : — 
Lady Peel of Plymouth, England ; Bonochon, Glasgow ; 
Uliza Ann, Glasgow; Arthur, Glasgow ; Abigail, Voole, 
England; Affghan , Qviehec ; Caroline and Mary Clark, 
Capt. Emerson, Waldoboro', Me. ; Sophia, Glasgow ; 
Adept, Glasgow ; Michael Angelo, Wilson, Boston, Mass ; 
Emily, Henderson, Thomaston, Me. ; Ottaway, Glasgow ; 
New England, Manson, Bath, Me. 

Capt. Manson's daughter, Ada,* is on board our ship, 
Capt. Emerson's lady is with him in the Caroline and 
Mary Clark, and Capt. V/ilson, of the- Michael Angelo, 
is an inflexible old bachelor, who has his home on board his 
ship, and a whole room filled with antiquarian curiosities 
and specimens of fine arts, which he has collected in 
Italy, Egypt, India, and elsewhere. He values his cab- 
inet at many thousand dollars. He is a singular genius, 
an intelligent man, and a warm-hearted American Sea- 
Captain. He hails from Boston. 

* Alas ! sweet girl — she lived not to see her home again. 



LETTER VIII. 

QUEBEC AND ITS ENVIRONS A DECK SCENE. 

Ship's Mooring — Orleans Island— -Plains and Falls of Montmorenci 
Higher than Niagara — Olympus — Trojan Heroes — House of Victoria's 
Father — Distant Mountains, Barriers of Civilization — St. Charles River 
— Charlebourg — Lorette — Point Levi — Churches — Walls of Quebec — 
Busii.ess of the St. Lawrence — Protestant English Blood verstis Catholic 
French Blood — The Great Battle on the Plains — Arnold's Expedition up 
the Kennebec— Anecdote of Gen. Chandler — Sir James Stuart. 

Bat of Quebec, July 1, 1851. 

In this Letter, I wish to give m j readers a more perfect 
view of Quebec and environs, than I have been able to do 
before, and to revive their recollections of some of the 
important historical events — the scenes of which trans- 
pired in sight of the position where I write. These have 
a connection with American Independence, and should be 
preserved here. I may write, perhaps, at the hazard of 
repeating some few of the facts that have been glanced at 
in other Letters ; I trust, however, that thej will be so 
interwoven with additional incidents of relative interest, 
that the repetition will not be offensive, but useful and ac- 
ceptable. 

Fancy yourself, then, if you please, with me, upon the el- 
evated, clean and almost polished poop — a promenade deck 
of eighty-one feet in length by thirty-four in width — of 
the good ship New England, which is nearly one thousand 
tons register. The air is calm and the skies are cloud- 



QUEBEC AND ITS ENVIRONS A DECK SCENE. 81 

less ; the surface of the waters, like a mirror, reflects the 
forms of grandeur and beauty from all the shores ; and 
the bright sun shining upon tinned domes and roofs of the 
citj above us, exposes a brilliancy in the distance, which 
is at once pleasing and painful to behold. Our ship rides 
in the midst of the stream, which is widened below the 
city into a spacious bay of twenty miles circuit, and ter- 
minated on its lowest, or eastern boundary, by Orleans 
Island, the head of which lies directly at our stern, and 
which occupies a space in the middle of the St. Lawrence 
of two or three miles wide by eighteen or twenty in length. 
This Island contains three Parishes, is thickly settled, has 
fine farms upon it, and is a place of considerable business. 
The head of it, by the way, is the exact spot on which 
Gen. Wolfe landed his Army of Old and New England 
troops in 1759. Wharves, ship-yards, warehouses, white 
cottages, and a few elegant dwellings line its shores ; and 
in the rear are the green fields and shady groves whereon 
the Army that decided the contest between England and 
France for supremacy in America, was encamped. From 
triis point look upward to Quebec ; and thence, at your 
right, on the northern curve of our Bay, — constitutmg a 
most beautiful amphitheatre below the city ; — let the eye 
trace the verdant and thickly settled Plains of Montmo- 
renci, extending nine miles from the city downwards to 
the world-famous Falls of the same name, which lie direct- 
ly opposite to us on the starboard shore a couple of miles 
distant, in full view. The Falls, though not so large in 
volume, are greater in height than Niagara, — the entire 
waters of the Montmorenci river descending in one sheet 
from the high Plains, suddenly and almost perpendicularly, 
two hundred and forty feet upon the rocky beach of the 



82 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

St. Lawrence below. Thej are amongst the greatest 
natural wonders of the world ; and no one would think of 
visiting Quebec, without witnessing the Falls of Montmo- 
renci. The roar of their waters, like thunder, is contin- 
ually sounding in our ears. The Plains seem to us the very 
place where, in Homer's time, Jupiter Tonans might have 
had his seat when he descended from Olympus, and where 
he directed Agamemnon, the king of men, to moor his 
fleets and land his armies in the proud siege against Ilion 
— Troy — which is still a walled city just above the Plains. 
On these Plains the myriad hosts of Helen bent their 
spears like waving corn before the breath of ^olus. I 
never, before, found just the place in which to read the 
Iliads of that greatest of all great Poets, Homer. It 
requires here, no stretch of fancy, beyond what poetry 
itself allows, to see the impregnable Troy where proud 
Hector counselled, the Plains where Agamemnon and 
Achilles strove, and the Wooden Horse, in whose capaci- 
ous belly the Greeks entered the city's gate and conquered 
Priam's outwitted hosts. 

Directly at the Falls, and in full view, is a large old 
mansion house, once the residence of the Duke of Kent — 
father of Queen Victoria. More recently it has been 
owned and occupied by a Mr. Patterson, who died last 
week, leaving a vast estate to an illegitimate daughter. 
This estate consists of the entire territory from the Falls 
to the city, the main road of which is dotted all the way 
(nine miles) with white houses, as thickly set, nearly, as 
in a village ; contiguous to which are wharves and lum- 
ber-yards on the shore, and fine looking farms in the rear. 
At his death, he is said to have been the richest man in 
Quebec . 



QUEBEC AND ITS ENVIRONS — A DECK SCENE. 83 

Such is the foreground on our right, as we look up 
towards the city. In the background, distant some 
twenty miles still farther northward, a range of hills 
whose summits are regular, and whose sides are verdant 
with the foliage of the season, constitutes the boundary of 
civilization. Beyond those hills are the " king's hunting 
grounds," inhabited only by wild beasts or roving savages. 
So I am certainly within sight of the very "jumping off 
place ; " would that I could stand one hour on those moun- 
tain barriers that separate now, and must separate ever, 
between a progressing civilization and an everlasting — 
desolation. 

At the upper terminus of the Plains of Montmorenci, 
and just at the eastern point of the " lower town " of the 
city, you see the River St. Charles as it unites with the 
St. Lawrence. A bridge near its mouth connects the 
Plains with the Parish of St. Roch, which is one of the 
suburbs, (outside the wall,) of Quebec ; and a mile or 
two above the bridge is the village of Charlebourg. Yet 
above this, on a tributary of the St. Charles, is to be seen 
the Indian village of Lorette, descendants of the Hurons, 
now nearly civilized, and whose whitewashed houses give 
their village a neat and lively appearance in the distance. 
I have seen, and purchased, some of the handicraft of 
these Indians, which evinces an amount of skill and in- 
genuity that would do credit to a Chinese workman. 
Below the bridge, on the Montmorenci road, is the village of 
Beaufort, from which, as also from Charlebourg, the domes 
of large Catholic churches, and the massive stone walls of 
Catholic convents, are seen. 

Now turn an eye to the left, and survey the southern 
shore. Directly abreast of us is a large Basin, called 



84 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Indian Cove, bare at low water, and the bottom of which 
is a smooth slaty ledge. Its upper bomidarj is Point 
Levi, which there makes out into the St. Lawrence ; and 
its lower line is formed by a long wharf, extending out 
to the channel of the river. From the end of this wharf 
to Point Levi above — perhaps a mile distant — is a 
floating bridge of hewn timbers, which are held in their 
places by iron bands across and thick plank ribbons at the 
sides. Occasionally there are joints and passage-ways in 
this flotilla, through which the lumber finds ingress and 
egress. Within is an immense boom, embracing, per- 
haps, seventy-five acres. Without the boom, at the 
river's channel, are, promiscuously arranged, several, large 
soHtary Piers, wholly unconnected with the main, at which 
ships are confined, and where they receive their cargoes 
floated out to them from the great boom. Generally there 
are a dozen or eighteen large ships loading at these piers at 
a time. At one of them we received our load ; after 
which, we drew off into the stream or bay, where w^e now 
are at anchor, waiting for a wind. From this position we 
obtain a more extensive and accurate panorama than else- 
where, — more perfect than could be commanded when I 
wrote my Fifth letter at the Pier. .Whilst we laid there, of 
the fourteen ships around us, eleven were Enghsh, and 
three American, the first, or about the first, Yankee ships, 
I believe, that under the present free trade system ever 
have ventured to do English business in English ports. 
The promise is a favorable one. I heard the proprietor of 
the boom say, that if this system of free trade is to 
continue, such are the superior shrewdness and enterprise of 
the YankeeSj that it would be useless for Canada to think 
of competing with us, and he should be for hauling down 



QUEBEC AND ITS ENVIRONS A DECK SCENE. 85 

the English flag, and running up the American. The 
house that owns this boom possesses another Uke it above 
the citj. Thej also own a navy of fall rigged ships which 
thej keep constantly employed, besides chartering some 
American vessels. 

Point Levi — by which all the territory on the river, op- 
posite Quebec from the great boom at Indian Cove, two and 
a half miles below, to perhaps as great a distance above, is 
known — is a fertile, at this season of the year a hand- 
some, and a well settled plain, inhabited mostly by Cana- 
dian French, who hve in white houses of wood, or gray 
ones of stone, evidently of French style. Two steam- 
ferry boats constantly running, connect Quebec with the 
mercantile part of Point Levi. The river here is about 
one mile wide. On the road from the Cove to the Ferry 
is a large French Church. Some distance below and above 
it are two chapels, or miniature churches, with crucifixes, 
steeples and bells, which are used for the funeral services 
of the dead. They are not much larger than a country- 
shoemaker's shop ; but they are as perfect churches in 
form, as if they were as large as St. Peter's at Rome. 

From our point of observation — Orleans Island in the 
rear, Montmorenci Falls and Plains on our right, and the 
great boom and Point Levi on the left, — as we look up 
stream, the real point Levi, just above us, at the upper end 
of the Cove, makes out like a low cape into the river or 
bay, just far enough to cut off our view of the wharves of 
the city, and of the river opposite and above it. The masts 
of the shipping, however, are seen surrounding the city, 
and filling the river in front of it like a forest of bare 
cedar trees that might seem to be planted on the low lands 
8 



86 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

of the intersecting Point, rather than in the decks of noble 
ships. Between us and the city, too, the broad expanse 
of placid waters is peopled with vessels sluggishly flapping 
their sails in the calm, or sitting majestically at anchor, 
like proud swans upon the wave. 

I have said that from our ship's deck we cannot see the 
wharves of the city, or the ships' hulls lying thereat and 
in the waters between it and Point Levi ; but we can see 
the warehouses which are higher than the wharves, and 
the stores and other edifices, of the lower town. These are 
on the narrow beach of the St. Lawrence on the south, 
and the wider one of the St. Charles on the east and 
north. On the St. Lawrence the bank of the river is of 
slate-rock in horizontal strata, three hundred feet high, 
nearly perpendicular, pressing so near the river's brink as 
to allow of but a single narrow street, except in some few 
artificial instances. The walls of the city are nearly over- 
head. This remark does not apply so severely to the St. 
Charles side of the city, though the ascent is severe any- 
where. Most of the shipping is on the St. Lawrence, 
or southerly side of the city, because the water here is 
very deep, and the shores bold. Here, therefore, most of 
the business is done. 

Li the city, upon the highest heights is a higher still, a 
prominence on Nature's everlasting wall, called Cape 
Diamond. This overlooks all the city, the surrounding 
country, the river above, and commands the broad bay 
down to Orleans Island, below where our ship is moored. 
The famous Citadel is on this eminence. I have heard 
the remark made every day by intelligent Canadians, that 
if a few enterprising Yankees would come in here, busi- 
ness would fly under their hands and money would rapidly 



QUEBEC AND ITS ENVIRONS — A DECK SCENE. 87 

accumulate in their pockets. Tlie St. Lawrence is nav- 
igable for more miles than any other river in the world, 
and Quebec is the great entrepot of that river. But — 
but what ? — the whole story is told in a few words — it 
is not in repubUoan Jiandf!, John Bull has an interest in 
the Canadas ; it may be like the exorbitant interest of a 
Shylock, which annually drains the poor victim of more 
than his earnings, and draws hard upon the principal 
itself. When the government of a people is maintained 
for the benefit of a foreign sovereign, it is hardly to be 
expected, in the nature of things, that the people should 
prosper as well as if they governed themselves for them- 
selves. 

And now suffer me to revive your recollections of some 
of the interesting historical facts, the scenes of which lie 
before me in the waters and upon the shores on every side. 
The French held and settled all of what are now the Brit- 
ish Provinces in America, a part of Maine embraced in 
Acadia, and the States formed out of the Louisiana pur- 
chase. It was proudly called JVeiv France. The govern- 
ment of France colonized America, and for its own benefit. 
Could there be a New England in America ? A sterile 
soil, on a bleak shore, was the refuge of a small company 
of religious Pilgrims, — outcasts, for conscience sake, from 
their fatherland, — who came, not to colonize, but to settle 
a country ; — to settle it, not for a government, but for 
themselves. Oppression drove them hither, and that op- 
pression taught them the very hatred of tyranny. They 
came as the rational disciples of liberty, resolved to die or 
be free. The Anglo Saxon blood was in their veins. 
They began and went forth in the strength of God. They 
planted churches — Protestant churches ; they established 



88 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

schools — free schools. They taught obedience to law as 
the condition of liberty. Silent, like leaven in meal, their 
principles -wrought out a glorious triumph. They came, 
not as the agents of a foreign government, but to escape 
its power, and in due time to defy it. They settled New 
England^ not for the benefit of Old England^ but for their 
own and their posterity's comfort and happiness. They 
had something to contend for; and the contest fitted them 
for the highest exigencies. In them our republican insti- 
tutions were conceived, and in due time brought forth to a 
comely and glorious birth. God prepared them to govern, 
the New World, and ultimately to bless the Old World with 
a freedom of which it has not yet been able to conceive. 
Thus a vast plan in the divine counsels has been develop- 
ed, and thus He works out the most glorious results, 
through human agencies. 

The incursions made by the French and Indians upon 
the New England, especially the Maine, settlements, during 
the war one hundred years ago between England and 
France, determined the British government to wrest, if 
possible, the French control from Canada. Its stronghold 
was Quebec. Its fortress was regarded as impregnable. 
Wolfe was sent to subdue it. He was a young man of but 
thirty three ; but as shrewd and brave an officer as the 
British throne could boast. With a united English and 
American army of about 5000 men, — amongst whom was 
the brave Montgomery, who afterwards, in time of the 
Revolution, attempted, with Arnold, to take Quebec, — he 
arrived with his fleet, and came to anchor, just where our 
ship is now moored, in the summer of 1759, and landed 
his troops on Orleans Island, the same that now lies at our 
stern. The French commander, the estimable Marquis do 



QUEBEC AND ITS ENVIRONS — A DECK SCENE. 89 

Montcalm, witnessing his designs, marched his army of 7000 
men out of the citj, down to the Plains of Montmorenci, and 
there, parading his forces in battle array, waited the land- 
ing and assault of Wolfe from the Island. The battle took 
place on the beautiful fields just abreast of our ship, a lit- 
tle above the Falls of Montmorenci. Wolfe was repulsed 
and retreated to the Island, discouraged. He resolved, 
however, on one more effort for a better position, and a 
more successful engagement. As if abandoning the en- 
terprise, he transferred his troops to the ships, and pro- 
ceeded, with a strong and favorable wind, by the city, 
up the river, apparently to join the British forces that had 
possession of Montreal, and to make a new descent with the 
combined army at some future day upon Quebec. The 
mse was successful. It deceived Montcalm. On the very 
next night, Wolfe's fleet dropped down, by a favorable tide, 
quietly to the place now called " Wolfe's Cove," where he 
landed his army, and, up the craggy precipices of a ravine 
already mentioned, led his men exulting upon the Plains of 
Abraham west of the city, and from which point it was 
most vulnerable. Daylight revealed an unexpected sight 
to Montcalm ! Supposing, however, that the force upon 
the Plains could be but a detachment of the adverse army, 
he moved his troops from the Plains of Montmorenci to 
those of Abraham, and there took position for an engage- 
ment, which, as the event proved, was to decide the long 
contest between France and England for supremacy in 
America. But Wolfe was there himself, with all his army, 
burning with revenge for previous discomfiture, and re- 
solved to conquer this time or perish. Indeed, he could 
make no retreat. The great day of decision had come ; 
and then and there, within sight of where I now write, 
8 



90 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

and on a field of blood which I paced last Saturday with 
sad interest, was the battle fought which gave forever to 
the Anglo Saxon race the control of this vast Continent. 
It was the 13th of September, 1759. 

Oh ! it was a bloody day. Wolfe's army, not being 
able to take more than a single piece of artillery up the 
steep ravine, resolved to make' the assault with bayonets — 
a mode of warfare which the French could not so readi^J 
stomach. The battle began before noon ; and ere the set- 
ting sun, the great controversy was decided. Thousands 
laid dead, or fatally wounded, on the field, amongst whom 
were both the brave commanders, Montcalm and Wolfe. 

I have said, elsewhere, that Montcalm, when dying, 
uttered the prediction, that the success of the British arms 
that day would cost the English throne all its other colo- 
nies. It was a true prediction. To pay the expense of 
that war, New England and the other colonies were taxed. 
Against this tax, imposed without representation in Parlia- 
ment, the colonies rebelled ; and having learned the arts 
of war, and tested their own courage, and ascertained by 
their experience under Wolfe, what Yankee soldiers could 
do, they resolved to take the field against Great Britain 
herself, and trust God for the issue. The battle on Abra- 
ham's Plains, therefore, may have connexions as legitimate 
as Montcalm foretold, with the causes which, in the hand 
of Providence, led to the severance of the old Thirteen 
from the crown of England. 

But, during this contest — the war of the Revolution — 
another event in history transpired, the scenes of which 
are all in plain view before me at the interesting point of 
my present observations. I allude to the attempt to take 
Quebec from the English, for the' benefit of the American 



QUEBEC AND ITS ENVIRONS — A DECK SCENE. 91 

cause, by the conjoined armies under Arnold and Mont- 
gomery. Your readers are familiar with the expedition of 
Arnold the traitor, with Aaron Burr, up the Kennebec, in 
the autumn of 1775 through the unbroken forests to Que- 
bec. We have the house now in Augusta, where Arnold 
and Burr quartered, when on their way up our river. It 
was a perilous adventure. The sufferings from cold, 
fatigue and starvation, an account of which, I recollect. 
Gen. Dearborn, who was a Captain in Arnold's army, relat- 
ed to me some years ago, and which made my very heart 
bleed for the miseries endured, were great. He told me 
that he killed his own favorite dog, then almost too poor to 
bark, and feasted with greediness on its flesh, and his sol- 
diers ate even its entrails ! The army, greatly reduced 
in numbers, reached the St. Lawrence river and encamped 
on Point Levi, just now at my left as I cast my eye to the 
shore. A grove still stands in rear of the field where he 
pitched his tents. The people of Point Levi received him 
kindly, and readily supplied the wants of his famished 
army, now reduced to less than eight hundred men. 

Without more force it would have been imprudent for 
Arnold to cross the river and attack the fortification, or 
lay siege to the city. Gen. Montgomery was above, hav- 
ing subdued Montreal and all the other places of impor- 
tance up river, and was on his way down to join Arnold 
for a grand onset upon Quebec. Meanwhile, Arnold ad- 
vanced to a higher position on Point Levi, a little above 
the city, and sent long shots across the river, which did 
some considerable execution. The old French Cathedral, 
in which I attended the service last Sabbath, suffered ma- 
terially from his guns, and bears the marks of them to this 
day. But it was in the dead of winter — a Canada win- 



92 GLIMPSES AND GATHERIIJGS. 

ter — a most unpropitious season for an arm}^ fatigued, 
exhausted, and almost discouraged, to attempt the siege of 
such a citj as Quebec. When Montgomery arrived, Ar- 
nold crossed over below the city, and, by agreement, was 
to advance up on the shore road, enter the lower town on 
St. Peter's, while Montgomery, marching from his position, 
down to the city upon the shore road, was to meet Ar- 
nold's forces at Prescott Gate, and there make a grand at- 
tempt to force an entrance. The time agreed upon for 
the march, was the night of the 31st of December. The 
snow had fallen heavily in the evening, and it was difficult 
to force a march through the deep and unbroken drifts. 
The forces, however, of Arnold and Montgomery advanced 
upon the lower town from below and above. Arnold si 
lenced several temporary batteries thrown up against him, 
and reached Prescott Gate with little loss. Montgomery, 
coming down, encountered the first obstacle successfully ; 
but just as he was entering the town, he met a serious, 
though temporary, fortification thrown across the street. 
In attempting to storm it, a discharge of grape shot from 
two or three cannon planted against him, instantly cut 
down thirteen men, and with them their great leader and 
much loved General himself — Montgomery ! This threw 
the remaining troops into confusion, and they retreated in 
disorder. They could hardly be rallied to a second at- 
tempt, and the command devolving upon Arnold, he took 
a position with all the forces upon Abraham's Plains, and 
attempted to besiege the city. At such an inclement sea- 
son, and with so few troops, ere spring arrived a council 
of war determined on raising the siege, and thus the expe- 
dition failed. It would have been a blessed thing for Can- 
ada had it succeeded. In this event, she would not now 



QUEBEC AND ITS ENVIRONS — A DECK SCENE. 93 

be what she is — a dependent colony, with all her energies 
depressed, but a free State, with the spirit of freedom 
prompting every sort of improvement, and laying the foun- 
dations of enterprise and prosperity. 

It has been generally supposed in the States, that Gen. 
Montgomery fell in attempting to ascend the precipitous 
wall of rocks that rise from the river to Abraham's Plains. 
I thought so myself, the other day, when, passing along 
River or Champlain street, I saw, high above me on the 
rocks, near a sHght ravine, a large wooden slab of black, 
with white letters, pointing by a Jg^°" down to a shelf pro- 
jecting from the ravine, inscribed — " Here Montgomery 
FELL, Dec. 31, 1775." Accordingly I continued to climb 
the precipice up to the rocky shelf, and seated myself on 
the spot to which the index pointed, in the sun, for very 
grave reflections. I selected a fragment of the slate stone 
where he must have stood and fallen, not knowing but it 
might have been baptized in the blood of Montgomery. I 
learned, however, afterwards, that he fell in the street be- 
low. A few years ago his remains were removed to New 
York, and deposited in a tomb under St. Paul's Church. 
This sign-board that tells the place of his untimely death 
was procured and erected not long since by a company of 
New Englanders visiting Quebec. 

I can think of no other military event, interesting to us 
now as Americans, to revive in your recollections, unless, 
indeed, the vicinity of the date of my writing to the glori- 
ous Fourth of July, might remind me of an anecdote relating 
to one of our worthy and highly respectable neighbors who, 
though a military man, was once not so fortunate as he, 
and we all could have wished him to be. He was a Briga- 
dier General, m the last war with England, under General 



94 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Hull upon the Canada lines. Just previous to the battle, 
in which the cowardice, to call it nothing worse, of Hull 
was betrayed, the general officers dined together ; and 
wine being passed after the cloth was removed, our patri- 
otic Brigadier gave as a toast — " The approaching Fourth 
of July — may we on that day drink wine within the walls 
of Quebec." His prayer was granted ; he did drink wine 
in Quebec on the Fourth of July ; but it was as a prisoner 
under the British flag, not 2ls a victorious General bearing 
the stars and the stripes upon the conquered walls of the 
American Gibraltar. He has gone to his rest now, and 
the anecdote is not related to detract aught from his well- 
earned fame, either as a General in the Army, or a Sena- 
tor in the Congress of the United States. He was our 
fellow-citizen, and died amongst us. His body reposes in 
the Augusta grave-yard, and we all know that he left a 
good military and civil reputation behind him. 

In concluding this long, and, perhaps, tedious letter, 
written under an awning kindly spread over my table by 
the Captain on the beautiful poop deck of the New England 
— a Maine ship, proudly riding upon Her Majesty's wa- 
ters, I can but take this occasion to say, that amongst the 
Industrial interests given me by our worthy Governor in 
charge to represent in the World's Convention and Exhi- 
bition at the Great Metropolis, I shall take very much 
pleasure in calling the attention of the naval architects of 
Europe to the elegant, swan-like form, and the super-ex- 
cellent workmanship, that are to be exhibited in the ship 
New England. Maine, it is already known, builds the 
greatest number of ships of any State in the Union ; it 
should also be known that she builds the best. In Quebec, 



QUEBEC AND ITS ENVIRONS — A DECK SCENE. 95 

where SO many proud English ships He — proud, because 
their sailors mix Avith the " yo-heave-o," the song '^ Bri- 
tannia rules the main," — our ship has arrested the atten- 
tion of British subjects ; and it is a circumstance credita- 
ble to American architecture and American captains, that 
in our enlisting a new crew, the other day, so anxious were 
the sailors to serve in a Yankee ship, that they were 
readily engaged at fifteen dollars per month, whilst Eng- 
lish ships have to pay forty dollars for the same class of 
help ! Nay more — the venerable Chief Justice of the 
Supreme Court of the Queen's Bench for the whole of 
Canada — really the highest office in the Province — Sir 
James Stuart, Bart., wishing to take passage for himself 
and family in the best vessel for London, has passed by all 
Her Majesty's ships in port, and engaged accommodations 
with us in the New England. He, with his daughter and 
son, and a servant in livery, has now been on board two 
days, waiting for a wind, and expresses himself delighted 
with the accommodations of the ship, and the intelligence of 
the officers. No man thinks more highly of New England 
and New England intelligence than he. Such a people, 
he is sure, must be competent for self-government ; — he 
wishes it were so everywhere — (I thought his inuendo 
applied to the French of Canada.) Sir James was edu- 
cated in the United States, in Schenectady College, and is 
famiUar with American history, and especially the judicial 
characters of our country. He is evidently a learned old 
gentleman, and, I should judge, a very candid, honest, and 
patriarchal man. The dignity of his deportment is in 
him — not an external, assumed thing, — and is entitled to 
respect because it is well sustained by extensive learning. 



96 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

good sense, and a noble heart. He is reputed to be the 
most profound lawyer in British America, and I make no 
doubt his reputation is deserved. I confess he gains hour- 
ly upon my veneration, and, I doubt not, we shall find him 
a most instructive, communicative, and companionable fel- 
low-passenger. 



LETTER IX. 

LOWER VALLEY OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. 



Tardy progress, not without its Advantages — The St. Lawrence, the long- 
est Navigable River in the World — Grandest Scenery in America — Cul- 
tivation of the Valley — Equality of the Population — Religious wants 
provided for — Revenue of the Catholic Church — Seniorages — Sailing from 
Quebec — White Porpoises — Width of the River, and Mountain Scenery 
in the distance — Few American Travellers ever see the Mouth and Gulf 
of St, Lawrence — Sir James Stuart and Family — Reflections on the 
Glorious Fourth. 



Mouth of the St. Lawrence, July 4, 1851. 
When I wrote my last letter from Quebec, I presumed 
that another would not be necessary for me till 1 should 
reach London ; but here I am yet in the St. Lawrence 
river, and though at last our noble ship is on her way, yet 
contrary tides, adverse winds and adverser calms have so 
impeded her progress that we do not yet see the Gulf of 
St. Lawrence or the Atlantic Ocean. When at this rate 
we shall reach Europe, is known only to Him " who heaves 
old ocean, and who wings the storm." But I long since 
learned not to complain of the ways of divine Providence, 
or to murmur against that which I cannot alter. God's 
wisdom is infinitely greater than mine, and I hope rever- 
ently and cheerfully to submit to all his will, however dark 
and mysterious that will may appear to my own weak and 
erring mind. H e can never do otherwise than right ; and 
9 



98 GLIMPSES AND (S^ATHERINGS. 

does it not become us always to rejoice in the right ? I 
have never known yet any darkness in the ways of Prov- 
idence which was not found, at last, to have been ne- 
cessary to the clearer hght of a more glorious day follow- 
ing it. I believe this doctrine is true of all his ways, 
towards all his creatures, now and forever ; and therefore 
I would " lay mj reason at his Throne," trusting that He 
•who governs the universe is competent to manage all its 
affairs for the promotion of his own glory and the best 
final good of each and all the subjects of his infinite grace 
and goodness. Here may my faith and hope ever rest. 

The delay has not been without its present pleasures 
and benefits. It has given me an opportunity to see more 
of Canada and the St. Lawrence river, than I ever 
otherwise could have enjoyed ; and has introduced me, in 
season, to some specimens of nautical life that may better 
prepare me for the voyage when I enter upon the Atlantic. 
The St. Lawrence is the longest river for ocean navigation 
in the world. From Montreal to its mouth the distance is 
three hundred miles, occupied with ships of all dimensions 
from various quarters of the world. I have, or soon shall 
have, traversed the whole of this distance, and seen the 
river in its widest and narrow^est parts, its intervales, its 
higher hilh, and its distant mountain-barriers ; with all 
the commerce floating on its deep bosom, and the cities, 
villages, rural districts, and unbroken forests by the way. 
And I must say, I have never witnessed scenery so grand 
and interesting. The shores of the Mississippi are low 
and unvarying in their aspects ; the marks of civilization 
are rare upon the way ; the channel is crowded, indeed, 
with steam-boats and other fresh-water crafts ; but the 
proud ships of Tarshish do not go thereon ; the water is al- 



LOWER VALLEY OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. 99 

ways muddy. But the shores of the St. Lawrence pre- 
sent a great diversity of appearance, — new forms perpet- 
ually appearing, and each new one being a fresh object 
of interest to the traveller. The water is clear and trans- 
parent as that which gushes from our own New England 
springs ; and as it moves, sometimes through narrow pass- 
es of not more than half a mile in width between moun- 
tain gorges, and at others spreads out into lakes or bays of 
a dozen or more miles in breadth, it affords on its own bo- 
som a variety as recurring as the ever changing panorama 
of the immense valley through which it runs. I am quite 
sure, and the remark is often made in my presence, that 
if the curious traveller would select the grandest scenery 
witnessed in America, he could find nothing equal, in mag- 
nificence and beauty, to a voyage from the Gulf of St. 
Lawrence to Lake Ontario, or vice versa. At least I am 
satisfied with what I have seen, and have had so much 
leisure to behold, and am prepared to endorse the en- 
comiums that may be bestowed upon the river and valley 
of the mighty St. Lawrence. 

There is another thing with which I am disappointed 
in the St. Lawrence valley. I allude to the thick settle- 
ments and the evidences of comfort and taste all along its 
shores. In this northern, and therefore cold, region, I ex- 
pected to find steriUty and neglect. But the lands are 
rich, the farms are well fenced and cultivated, the build- 
ings upon the great roads are near enough together for 
neighborhood purposes, and are invariably white. Many 
of them are of stone, some of hewn logs, and others framed 
and boarded ; but whatever is the material, they are all 
white, made so either by paint or composition wash. Even 
the barns and out-buildings are thus covered ; and from 



100 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

the river, the whole has a very neat appearance. Judg- 
ing, too, from the sizes of the dweUings, there is great 
equahtj of condition amongst the people. Each farmer 
seems to have about the same quantity of land ; the 
dwelhng houses are of uniform size, and the only test of 
aristocracy amongst them, — as an observing lady passen- 
ger on board protests — is in the length of the barns. 
Those who, evidently, have most of this world's goods, 
have the longest barns to store them in. From Montreal 
to Quebec, 180 miles, and from the latter city to that 
point in the river on which our ship is now sailing 
towards the Gulf, there is hardly a mile of shore on which 
a carriage road does not run, and that road is all the way 
dotted w^ith neat white farm houses, occasionally clustering 
into villages wherever some stream, emptying into the 
river, furnishes a water-power for saw-mills and other 
machinery, or wherever a favoring cove provides a good 
harbor for the lading and unlading of vessels. 

I am surprised, too, to observe the number and elegance 
of the churches that are to be seen amongst the settlements. 
There may not be so many, because there is not so great a 
number of sects, as there are in New England. Here, 
except in the cities, where the Episcopal denomination and 
some dissenting churches exist, there is but a single sect, 
and this the Catholic. This church has provided well for 
the religious wants of her people ; for wherever we see 
settlements, compact or scattered, there we are sure to see 
the spire or dome of an elegant church, in charge of its 
resident priest, and sacredly kept in good repair. And 
Catholics we all know, are obliged to attend upon their ser- 
vices, and contribute regularly and sometimes severely, for 
the support of the Establishment. But the taxes imposed 



LOWER VALLEY OF THE ST. LAAVRENCE. 101 

upon the people would hardly be sufficient to maintain so 
many churches and in such ample style, as we witness in 
passing the whole length of the St. Lawrence. These rev- 
enues, I apprehend, only meet the incidental expenses, 
which, however, €an hardly be less to the Catholic church 
of Canada, than the entire expenditures for all the Protest- 
ant churches, of an equal number, in the United States. 

Canada vras originally colonized by France ; and the first 
care was faithfully and perpetually to establish the Catho- 
lic religion. When the colony was new, it was divided in- 
to parishes, the territory of which, before it could be sold, 
and forever afterwards, must become subject to a church 
seniorage. This, except in cases which have been com- 
pounded, still exists ; and every purchaser and holder of 
land, acquires and retains it only on condition of its pay- 
ing a certain tax for the support of the Catholic church. 
In most cases, now, this is collected indirectly ; yet, in re 
ality, the Seniorage rights are like a teat which the church 
has hold of, on every man's estate, and from which it de- 
rives the means of growing " fat and sleek." Every dis- 
trict, therefore, is able to erect its church and maintain its 
ministry. In Montreal, the Seniorage of the church is im- 
mense ; — there is no telling Avhat is its value. In one 
sense, the Catholic Church owns the whole city and island 
of Montreal. Not a foot of land is there in Montreal, or 
the large and rich island on which it is situated, but what 
is obliged to swell the vast resources of that church. In 
some cases, indeed, private individuals have compounded 
for their freedom ; but this can be acquired, we are told, 
only at the cost of eleven per cent on the value of the land. 
If this is the interest which the bishop and priests in Mon- 
treal have in all the landed estates of that island, it is no 
9* 



102 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

longer a injstcry how it is, that the Catholic church there 
has been able to erect such colleges, monasteries, palaces, 
and churches, one of which, described in a former letter, 
is the most splendid and costly cathedral in North Ameri- 
ca. The Catholic church of ^lontreal is so rich, that Trin- 
ity church in New York, is poor compared with it. We 
all know the power of money — in rehgion, alas! as well 
as politics. The power, then, of the Catholic church of 
Montreal, and indeed, of Canada in general, is great, too 
great for the British Government to control. The French, 
which is entirely a Catholic, power, we arc assured by Sir 
James Stuart, who is on board our ship, is on the increase 
in Canada, and forbids much hope of its being Anglicised 
at present. 

I have spoken of the St. Lawrence being navigable by 
ships from the ocean three hundred miles to Montreal. 
This, however, is but a small part of the distance, through 
which its waters that empty into the St. Lawrence, carry 
the commerce of the world. A vessel launched at Chica- 
go, 111., following the natural course of the water in which 
she floats, would pass the whole length of that vast inland 
sea, Lake Michigan, to the Straits of Michilimackanac, 
thence round the Peninsula State of Michigan, through 
Lakes Huron and St. Clair, to Lake Erie and Niagara; 
thence through the Welland Canal, to avoid the Falls, and 
enter the other miniature ocean. Lake Ontario, leaving it, 
as its waters go forth to constitute the stream of the St. 
Lawrence, and so down six hundred miles farther, going by 
Montreal and Quebec to the Atlantic Ocean. We have 
passed beautiful vessels on the river, since our ship got un- 
der way, that hailed from Wisconsin ! How many thou- 
sands of miles they have come, following the natural outlet 



LOWER VALLEY OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. 103 

of the waters on which they were launched, we leave the 
reader to calculate, for the gratification of his own curiosi- 
ty ; and when he has done this, let him decide which of 
the twins is smallest, — the Mississippi or the St. Lawrence. 
The New England weighed anchor, hoisted sails and left 
the bay of Quebec about 5 o'clock on Wednesday morning, 
July 2d. A favoring breeze, until noon, carried her near- 
ly fifty miles, after which we drifted down, becalmed in the 
ebb tide, which runs at the rate of six or seven knots per 
hour, and came at anchor before night at the Traverse — 
a place where the river is about ten miles wide, but where 
the channel, indicated by a light-house ship on one side, 
and by great buoys on the other, is not over a fourth of a 
mile in width, and through which the tide rushes with such 
velocity, that it is not safe to pass in the current without a 
strong breeze to steer by. There we laid all night. About 
forty other loaded ships were in our company — all bound 
to England. Next morning, a light breeze enabled us to 
resume the voyage, and thus we have continued ever since, 
but with slow progress, as much of the time it has been 
nearly calm. The river, ahead, looks like a boundless 
ocean ; — vessels in the distance are seen like motes hang- 
ing upon the horizon. The surface of the water is smooth? 
broken only occasionally by lines of white porpoises rolling 
one after another within hailing distance, and exposing their 
lily white backs to our view. I never saw sl u'hite -porpoise 
before. They are common in the St. Lawrence, and a 
new discovery in relation to them gives promise of benefit 
to the Arts and advantage to the Public. Besides the oil 
which they furnish, the Canadians have lately discovered 
that their skins afibrd the best of hides for tanning. They 
make a thin, soft and durable leather, impervious to wa- 



104 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

ter, and bid fair to supersede the exclusive use of animal 
hides for leather. They abound in the river and gulf of St. 
Lawrence. All around us they are to be seen in great 
numbers. Specimens of the leather made of white por- 
poise skins have been sent to the World's Fair in London, 
and have arrested great attention there. 

The shores for the last day or two, have been two or 
three miles distant, on either side. From the margin of 
the river, back a mile or more, the land appears to be allu- 
vial, and nearly level ; as it ascends, however, from the 
river, it rises gradually into green hills, which are spotted 
with farms and white houses. These fertile hills in the 
distance attain the dignity of mountains — especially on 
the North. From Orleans Island, near Quebec, to the 
mouth of the river, there is, at varying distances north, a 
pretty regular back of a chain of mountains, that appear 
blue afar off, but at points where they approach us, are 
beautiful, as standing forth in primeval glory, never having 
been touched by the axe of man. The forests on them are 
hardwood, and are now in full foliage. The shadows of 
passing clouds as they are cast upon the unbroken forests 
of the sides of the mountains, give those spots a darker hue, 
and look like stains of ink upon a green carpet. Some- 
times the spurs of the hills are abrupt and rocky, and afford 
to a speculative eye, an opportunity to behold in them any 
of the gods or goddesses of Olympus, or other fantastic 
forms, according to one's fancy. I can hardly realize I am 
upon a river. In some directions land is not to be seen, 
and in others, the appearance is more like an estuary of the 
sea than the current of a river. I have seen, and am see- 
ing, what I suppose few of my New England friends have 
seen, the lower parts and mouth of the St. Lawrence, and 



LOWER VALLEY OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. 105 

the Gulf of the same name mto which the restless waters 
of the Great Western Lakes finally gain their resting-place 
in the Ocean. 

On board our ship, besides Mr. Preston, my son William 
and myself, we have, as passengers, Sir James Stuart, 
Bart., Chief Justice of Canada, his daughter Mary and son 
Edward. A servant accompanies the family to minister to 
their wants and comforts on ship-board. Sir James is a first 
rate specimen of '' a fine old Enghsh gentleman." In person 
he is over six feet high, erect and portly. His age is about 
sixty-five, his head is bald, excepting gray hairs upon the 
sides and back. His eyes are black and intellectual. 
Though dignified in his manners, he is perfectly accessible, 
and his conversation is always instructive and pleasant. 
He is reported to be the profoundest lawyer in the Province. 
His office is for life — even the Queen cannot remove him, 
except by impeachment, and his salary is between six and 
seven thousand dollars per annum. I thought he appeared 
pleased with his independence of the Crown ; Victoria can- 
not do, what our Presidents and Governors can do — turn 
people out of office at her own will and pleasure. He is 
going " home," that is to England — for everybody's Aome 
in Canada, is England — for his health. He is honorable 
towards our institutions, and an admirer of our great states- 
men. We like the old patriarch very much. He may be 
an aristocrat, but his aristocracy is high and noble, not 
scrubby, like the aristocracy of the cities and villages of 
the States. 

My letter, to-day, as you will perceive, is dated on the 
Fourth of July — a day that never will be forgotten by a 
Yankee, and that never can be, by John Bull. I will 
conclude this Letter by a famihar extract from my Diary ; 



106 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

" The birth-daj of Liberty — a goddess, born seventy- 
five years ago for the government of thirteen out of the 
then fifteen Anglo-American Colonies, the first number of 
which have flourished under her fostering power, as States 
never prospered before, and the last two of which yet are 
as they were^ British Colonies still, with all the unim- 
proved, unadvanced sameness, that they would not consent 
to emerge from, when the rest of the sisterhood set up for 
Independence. In one of them (Canada) I am this day 
— and here is no rejoicing, as, indeed, there is nothing to 
rejoice in. All is dull — cheerless: the weather itself, 
properly enough, is cold ; — I have to take my bed this 
forenoon to get warm ; cloudy — the " heavens do lower " ; 
wind ahead — we must work against the elements. There 
are forty ships in our fleet, all bound to Europe — three of 
them only are Yankees ; and if the '' stars and stripes " 
do not stream from the mizen peaks of the patriotic trio, 
it is because our Captains dare not look John Bull nor 
Molly Cow in the face ! Evidently the British ships do 
not like the boastful looks of the Republican flags in their 
midst ; for in beating down, some of them have willingly 
thrown themselves across our track, but as willingly have 
been glad to '^ get out of the way" by the time our ships 
have reached the point of intersection. 

In conversation with Sir James to-day he remarked, 
with an air of much confidence, that it would be prepos- 
terous to suppose the United States would continue united 
States very long — the multiplication of new States in the 
confederacy would cause the Union to break of its own 
mammoth weight. I differed from him. I believed the 
larger the co-partnership, the stronger the firm, as it 
would be less possible for one or a few to break up the 



LOWER VALLEY OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. 107 

Union when so many were against them, and resolved on 
its inviolability. He thought South Carolina was correct 
in her doctrine of any State having the right to secede 
at pleasure. I replied that I was no lawyer ; but it 
seemed to me that as no State could come into the Union 
without the consent of the family of States in Congress 
represented, so neither could a State withdraw from the 
Union, and thereby hazard the prosperity of the co- 
partnership, without consent as legitimately granted. He 
replied that this might avail as an administrative doctrine, 
but could not be set up as a constitutional one. He ap- 
appeared, however, to respect our institutions and the 
great and good men of the Republic. He is a literary 
man, and a '' fine old English gentleman." 

Of course we had no formal celebration of the '' Glori- 
ous Fourth " on board ; but , moved by a Uttle 

patriotic fire, hobbled upon the binnacle, in presence of 
the passengers and officers on the poop deck, and, in a 
manner not discreditable to him, pronounced from memory 
the thrilling part of Patrick Henry's speech, made in the 
Virginia House of Delegates before the Revolution, which 
concluded in the following emphatic words, emphatically 
pronounced: — "Caesar had his Brutus — Charles the 
First his Cromwell, and George the Third " — [here Sir 
J. began to look grave, his son and daughter frightened, 
and his liveried servant enraged] — " may profit by his 
example. There ! — make treason of that, here in Cana- 
da, if you can." 



■»" 



LETTER X 



" LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE. 

No longer on the Earth— Old Neptune's Crystal Palace — The Ocean free 
at Home — Horace Greeley's abhorrence of Sea-Life — Steam-Ship un- 
natural on the Ocean — Sailing >hips preferable — Table Fare — Descrip- 
tion of Cabin — Employment of Passengers — Sailor's Life — Ships' Bells 
and Watches — Parting with the Pilot — Anticosta Island — Snow on 
Southern Highlands — Newfoundland — Grand Banks — Pleasures of a 
Sailing Excursion in a Gale. 

" Type of the Infinite ! I look away 

Over thy billows, and I cannot stay 

My thought upon a resting place, or make 

A shore beyond my vision, where they break ; 

But on my spirit stretches, till it 's pain 

To think ; then rests, and then puts forth again." 



At Sea, Lat. 47 N., Lon. 37 W., July 18, 1851. 

According to our ships reckoning, we are this day 
just "half seas over;" that is, we are half way 
across the Atlantic ; — neither in America nor Europe ; 
— not on earth, but on water only. "Whether there 
is, or is not, at this present writing, any other than 
the world of waters, does not now appear. The evidence 
of sense, which is the only evidence that certain common- 
sense philosophers can defer to, is here against the affirma- 
tive proposition. I look around, and the round world I 
survey, is, on the great scale, just like the infinitessimal 
globules of which water is composed. The arching heavens, 
that never yet uttered falsehood to man, by the limits they 



"LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE." 109 

bring down, like an impenetrable curtain, on every side, 
declare that there is nothing but air above and water 
around me. Surely, indeed, there was earth once, — I 
know it ; as surely I am beyond it now ; I feel it. My 
communion here is with nearer and truer heavens than 
ever encircled me before. Can we go where God is 
not ? and where he is, we may always have a com- 
munion that never leaves us alone. 

This, really, is the first voyage I ever made in which 
I was out of sight of land. On our own coast, from Maine 
to Maryland, I never happened to be so far from shore. 
But here I find Old Ocean in her boundlessness and majes- 
ty. Here I explore the central domains of the " Monarch 
of the watery main " — old Neptune, 

" Deep in the liquid regions lies his cave." 

There he has his crystal chambers, as much surpassing 
in extent and magnificence, the Crystal Palace of St. 
Albert in London, as the gods of Ida's misty tops surpass 
all things human. I thought I saw him the other morn- 
ing, just after passing the dense and towering foggy moun- 
tains of the Grand Banks. I see him now, as plainly as 
I saw him then, emerging from his glas.sy cave : 



■His brass-hoof 'd steeds he reins, 



Fleet as the winds, and deck'd with golden manes, 
Refulgent arms his mighty limbs enfold, 
Immortal arms of adamant and gold. 

He mounts the car, the golden scourge applies, 

He sits superior, and the chariot flies ; 

His whirling wheels the glassy surface sweep ; 

Th' enormous monsters, rolling o'er the deep, 

Gambol around him on the wat'ry way, 

And heavy whales in awkward measures play ; 

The sea, subsiding, spreads a level plain. 

Exults and owns the monarch of the Main ; 

The parting waves before his coursers fly ; 

The wondering waters leave his axle dry." 

Iliad, Book, xiii. 

10 



110 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Amongst the estuaries and bajs of our own New England 
coast, the blue waters that have strayed thither from their 
parent ocean's home, seem to be checked and humbled 
and tamed by the promontories and capes and islands that 
defy them, and hold up everlasting barriers against their 
proud waves ; and so densely has man peopled their heav- 
ing bosom with ships and steamers and boats, that, by an 
obstrusive familiarity, he has bound the beating heart 
beneath to keep the peace ; but here, the mighty ocean 
is at home, and free in all her unhampered powers. She 
swells, and heaves her wavy pyramids to the skies, and 
roars the deep thunders of her praise to Heaven. Who 
would not feel his littleness ? Our noble ship which, seen 
in port, one might think even the ocean would hardly 
dare to trifle with, the sea god here takes up '* as a very 
Httle thing," and tosses it like an empty egg-shell from 
wave to wave — a mere bubble loaded with shadows. 

I feel, indeed, to be far, far away from earth and home ; 
yet I do not feel solitary or desolate. " I love the sea, 
the deep blue sea " — it is so much the emblem of eterni- 
ty to which we are all bound. There are a grandeur and 
a sublimity here which lift the soul to Him who is " God 
of the ocean and the land." The heaving billows, lofty 
and proud as they are, produce a motion of the ship, 
which I may literally say, is thrillingly agreeable to me ; 
for both as I sink and as I rise, a thrill passes through my 
frame, that is almost ecstatic. I am not sea-sick. Nep- 
tune, more merciful to me than to most men, never ex- 
torted tribute from my humble stomach. And to a person 
who is free from sea-sickness, who enjoys the graceful 
motions of a first class ship, who has a state-room — with 
berth and closets — a study with writing table and books 



Ill 



— a sanctuary for thought and meditation, — with confi- 
dence in the skill and care of the ship's Captain, and a 
grateful trust in the world's Father above, at the helm of 
the Universe, my readers will hardly need be told that a 
voyage, even of weeks, across the Atlantic is only a sail- 
ing excursion of just as many weeks of pleasure and 
delight. Herein do I diSfer from Horace Greeley, who, 
arriving in England about the time of my departure from 
the United States, sent back to his paper such a nauseate 
and lachrymose protest against an ocean passage, and who 
prayed some Yankee genius to be instant in inventing a 
new contrivance for getting him home in a single week. 
We often take our impression of things as much from a 
foul stomach, as from a pure mind. 

But brother Greeley went in a steam-packet, — he knew 
not the quiet dignity of a sailing ship. If God ever meant 
fire, and water, and oil, to go together, then, perhaps, may 
He have designed steam-boats for ocean navigation ; but 
there always seemed to me something unnatural and forced 
in such a mode of crossing seas ; forced ? Yes, every 
step \^ forced; the wheels unnatural, except on Neptune's 
car to the watery plain, are ever fomenting strife and 
trouble on the bosom of the deep as they strike the face of 
the ocean, and push the craft along, no longer " a thing 
of life." And then there are the thumping sound, and the 
tiresome jar of the heavy piston, and the stench of burn- 
ing grease and seething oils, infusing their unsealike fumes 
through all the floating palace. These, added to the dan- 
gers of mighty fires raging in the very bowels of the ship, 
have always made it seem to me, that steam navigation, 
on long voyages, could never be so natural, so agreeable 
and so safe a mode of conveyance, as actual sailing. A 



112 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

ship, without sails, is a sea-bird without wings — her 
beauty and her natural glory are departed. It is as if 
man would improve the graceful swan with a pair of seal's 
flappers. But give her sails ! spread the broad canvas 
from bowsprit to mizen, and from deck to top-gallant 
mast ; — there let her sit in all her living dignity upon old 
ocean's bosom, ready to greet the free winds of heaven ; 
get you on board ; see the sails fill ; behold her move, — 
yes, she moves, herself " a thing of life ; " witness the 
grace with which she salutes the rolling waves ; mark the 
stillness on decks, the quietness and sweetness of the 
cabins, and comforts all around ; and say, if Greeley had 
not reason to complain, whilst we triumph and are glad ! 
But for the saving of time, were I to cross the Atlantic 
over and over again, we would as often prefer a good, 
staunch sailing ship, to a jarring steam-packet. Time, to 
me, indeed, is an object, and so is comfort. 

Our ship is one of the best that was ever launched upon 
our own Kennebec. Her model is beautiful. She rides 
the sea with great ease and elegance. When poised upon 
a mountain wave, she plunges into the watery vale and 
meets the coming billow, that seems ready to bury her 
proud form in the dreadful caverns of the deep. She does 
not, like some vessels we have seen, strike the opposing 
sea, as if encountering a rock, and tremble at every timber, 
under a death-blow ; but with graceful prow, she kisses 
the advCiSe wave, and rising triumphantly as the rolling 
sea lifts her to heaven, she passes on to make new friend- 
ship with, and acquire new victories over, long-coming 
seas. Her name is the " New England," just the name 
I would like to bear to Old England, as a sample of the 
Naval architecture of our own ship-building State. I am 



" LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE." 113 

a Yankee, and glory in Yankee specimens for any World's 
Fair. She is commanded by CajDi. R. P. Manson, of Bath, 
who has been in almost every part of the world as a ship- 
master, and whom I find a skilful officer, and an intelligent 
gentleman. With the captain at the head, and the mate 
(Mr. Hatch, of Dresden), at the foot, we just fill the well- 
supplied table three times a day — two servants, the white 
one of Sir James, and the black one of Capt. Manson, 
waiting, one on each side. The only complaint I have to 
make of the table, is its superabundance. Instead of one 
dinner at a sitting, we generally have to take half a 
dozen ; — first, soup ; then, roast beef ; then, cold ham ; 
next, broiled chicken, and these followed by puddings, 
pastry and fruits — Sir James, as a true Englishman, 
always having his bottles of wine and porter at his side. 
Business must be done with expedition to get through in a 
full hour. Mahogany ribs pass upon the surface of the 
table for holding the dishes on amidst the lurchings of the 
ship, and the mahogany settees at the sides, and the arm- 
chairs at the ends, are fixed immovably to the cabin floor. 
Over the table, a large glass window in the deck lets down 
the light. This window is roof-shaped, and covered with 
iron netting that is painted green. From it, a large 
and ornamented barometer and thermometer in one 
frame, and a lantern of stained glass, are suspended. 
The poop deck overhead, is eighty-one feet long by thirty- 
five wide, made of solid Norway pine plank, sawed in nar- 
row strips, varnished, and washed down every day. It 
affords a fine promenade Two life-boats rest upon it, 
ready in case of an emergency. 

I have spoken of the dining cabin. Let me give the 
reader a further description of our interior " life on the 
10* 



114 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

ocean wave." This cabin is the common sitting-room for 
passengers from the gentlemen's state-rooms and the 
ladies' saloon, or main parlor, which is in rear of it at the 
stern of the ship. It is eighteen feet long by fifteen wide ; 
is carpeted with oil-cloth ; the sides are finished in panel- 
work, with pilasters resembling white marble, set in rose- 
wood, and the capitals and cornices ornamented with gold- 
leaf. The doors are black walnut. From a large entry 
in front, stairs ascend the companion-way to the poop 
deck ; and in the rear, two doors open into the beautiful 
ladies', and ladies' beautiful, parlor, which is richly fur- 
nished with velvet sofas, Turkey carpets, mahogany tables 
and chairs, hanging lamps, mirrors, paintings, case of 
books, &c. The state-rooms are between these central 
halls and the sides of the ship. A door, for instance, 
opens out of either side of the sitting cabin into an entry, 
which, as you enter, communicates at the right, and also 
at the left, with opposite state-rooms, by doors leading 
therein. These state-rooms are ten feet by six, with an 
ample recess for washing apparatus and closet. Our 
sanctum is the third room from the stern, on the left hand 
side of the ship. The berths, two in number, are on the 
wall next to the sitting-room, not on the ship's side ; thus 
bringing our sleeping places near the centre of the ship, 
where the motion is less ; and opposite to them, through 
the ship's side, is a round glass light, six inches in circum- 
ference, which can be opened or shut at pleasure. On one 
side of the room, the ship's carpenter, by the direction of 
the captain, has made a writing-table for me, and inserted 
a dead-light in the poop deck directly over it, so set as to 
send its httle stream of light directly upon the portable 
desk on which my paper lies. The room is painted and 



" LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE." 115 

carpeted, the berths are made up with soft mattrasses and 
hnen sheets, and curtained with dimitj. A looking-glass 
over the writing-table, a trunk under it, with two cane 
stools, and garments suspended from hooks upon the walls, 
complete the tout ensemble of our interior life. Here we 
are happy as a king, and more independent. Friends far 
away, indeed, we have and love ; and here we remember 
and pray for them. 

The passengers generally while away their time by day, 
playing chess, pacing the decks, watching the whales, por- 
poises, petrels, kews, and other sea birds ; noting the pro- 
gress of the ship, viewing the waterscape, speculating about 
the winds and weather, a subject of vast interest here, 
since our all depends upon it ; — for myself, four out of five 
daylight hours are spent in our little sanctum, reading and 
writing ; the nocturnal ones in sleep, when sleep is to be 
had. It is a blessed opportunity, and a happy place to 
me ; and when I leave it, as I shall with regret, it 
will ever dwell in my memory as a place of very fond 
recollections. 

Our ship spreads a vast amount of canvas ; and when 
required to be changed with the varying breezes so as to 
catch the gales of heaven to the best advantage, gives 
ready employment to her eighteen or twenty seamen before 
the mast. Blow and slat as it may, some must climb the 
tall masts, and go out upon the highest yards, standing 
there upon swinging ropes, and hanging over the foaming 
billows. We had rather be saved from such perils. Others 
remain upon the decks to ply the braces, and as they 
hasten over the sounding decks, or loudly sing their nau- 
tical songs, Avith the merry chorus of " Yo, heave ! " it 
is impossible to sleep or converse in the cabins below. It 



116 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

is well there are persons who prefer to lead the life of 
common sailors, for such are needed in their places ; but 
what a place ! To be jammed into a stifled forecastle in 
the very ship's nose, clad in tar and resting on grease, 
never allowed to come aft, or look into the cabin, or speak 
to an officer, except when ordered to perform some of his 
hard service ; — ashore to be the deceived inmate of a 
sailor boarding-house, subject to the vilest temptations and 
crudest frauds, robbed, or worse than that, of their little 
money, and held in debt to their landlord, so as to be 
shipped and sold by them to any vessel of any nation in 
port which their controllers please ; we can hardly con- 
ceive of a condition of dependence and servitude more 
pitiable and degraded. Our crew consists mostly of young 
men, of whom, I believe, but two are Americans, and these 
are friends of the officers of the ship, who are cared for, 
and who are looking to the quarter-deck, not to the fore- 
castle, for life. The rest are Irish, Portuguese, English, 
and Dutch. The hne of demarkation is so plain between 
their end of the ship and ours, that I seldom see them, 
except as they are in the rigging aloft, or working the 
ropes beneath. The cook's kitchen, the carpenter's shop, 
and the stable for the cow, the sheep, the pigs, and the 
hens, and turkies, are in a building on the central part of 
the main deck. A latticed bridge leads from the poop- 
deck to the roof of this building, thence to the forward 
deck, beneath which are the anchors, chains, windlass, and 
sailors' quarters. A bell is hung upon this deck, to give 
the stern an alarm in case of danger. Another answering, 
but smaller bell, is in the wheel-house at the stern of the 
ship, in which two sailors ever stand by turns to steer, 
guided by two mariner's compasses before them, well 



117 



lighted by night. These bells also keep the three watches 
of the twelve hours by eight bells each. The watches 
commence at twelve, four, and eight o'clock ; and at the 
first half hour, the bell strikes one ; at the second, two; and 
so on to eight, which is the maximum, comprehending 
four hours. These bells, commencing in the stern, are 
responded to at the hours whenever they strike. All the 
time, a man stands at the bows, watching whatever may 
be ahead, and in addition, at night, a large lantern is 
suspended in the fore-rigging. In case of fog, torches 
made of spirits of turpentine and other combustibles, are 
ignited and elevated every few minutes. This is to give 
other vessels notice of our approach, should any be near, 
so, if possible, as to prevent collision. 

Our progress from Quebec, thus far, has been tardy, 
having been over a fortnight in coming eighteen hundred 
miles. This is the season of calms, and calms are worse 
than adverse winds, both of which we have had much of. 
The River and Gulf of St. Lawrence, and thence the 
Newfoundland Banks, are the very breedmg places of 
fogs. We have got beyond them, I trust, now ; and the 
next eighteen hundred miles, I hope we shall compass in 
less time. I do not wonder the people of Montreal and 
Upper Canada should wish for an iron river to Portland, 
the nearest Atlantic port for all the Western world. 
Seven months of the year, the St. Lawrence is frozen up, 
and the other five, its gulf is full of fogs. But a rail- 
road to Portland will be a river always open. We hope 
it will be the grand artery for all the business of the 
Great We^t with the Atlantic ocean. 

The "New England" weighed anchor, and sailed from 
Quebec, Wednesday, July 2. Our pilot did not leave us 



118 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

till Sunday, when he had taken the ship down to the head 
of Anticosti Island, three hundred miles from the city. 
We parted with kind regards, and I sent letters by him 
to be mailed for the office, and for home. I was inter- 
ested in the river from Montreal down ; but the lower St. 
Lawrence can hardly be called a part of the river ; it 
is more of an estuary, or wide arm of the Gulf, being as 
salt as the ocean, and some thirty or forty miles wide. 
The scenery on both sides, and upon the bosom of the 
waters, was very grand and beautiful. On the mountain 
south of us — between the St. Lawrence and Bay Chaleur, 
we could see snow^ and this in July ! North, the range 
oi mountains far back from the river was the boundary 
of civilization in that direction. The near highlands were 
covered with unbroken forests, and the lower lands between 
them and the river appeared to be well cultivated, having 
pretty farms, with white cottages all the way, and oc- 
casionally a village, with its Cathohc Church steeple. On 
the eastern shore is Saguenay River, entering the St. 
Lawrence amidst mountain rocks, tall and perpendicular 
on both sides. It is navigable, and abounds in salmon. 
We purchased several in Quebec for 10 cents per pound, 
and have had them on our passage — nothing is better. 

Anticosti Island, below the mouth of the St. Lawrence, 
is 180 miles long, but has no inhabitants except such as 
the British Government maintains on it to take care of light- 
houses, and assist shipwrecked mariners who are cast away 
upon it. The Island has no harbor upon it, and its ledges 
extend out from one to three miles into the Gulf, and 
there terminate so abruptly that there is no anchorage 
outside of them. It is a most dangerous coast. The 
first night after we reached the gulf opposite the Island, 



"LIFE ON THE OCEAN WAVE." 110 

the fog set in very thick and the wind began to blow from 
the south east directly upon the shore. A good Provi- 
dence preserved us. The ship was able to keep off till - 
the wind changed, and the next day we had made offing 
enough to be out of the way of the creature. 

On the 9th we passed out of the gulf between New- 
foundland and Cape Breton Island, into the broad Atlantic. 
Newfoundland is 350 miles long by 250 wide and has 
90,000 inhabitants. It is under the English. The busi- 
ness is principally fishing. The Great Banks are off its 
southern coast. Here all nations come for fish. The 
French yet retain one or two small Islands near New- 
foundland on which the fishermen cure their fish. The 
Banks are almost always buried in fogs. I never saw 
fogs so dense. It seemed as if our ship was in danger 
of running her nose into them and getting stuck there. 
The fact, that this is the great road travelled by steamers 
and vessels from Europe to America, and that the Banks 
are covered by thousands of fishing vessels, and floating 
icebergs from the Northern Ocean, make it exceedingly 
dangerous to navigate these waters in the night or in a 
fog. Every precaution however is taken to avoid danger. 
Vessels ring bells, hang out lanterns, light torches &c., 
all the way across the Banks. We got over them on 
the night of the 15th, driven by a gale of wind from the 
South West, and having escaped them, we considered 
our voyage more than half accomplished. 

I call it a gale — perhaps an old salt would not ; — 
but it made the ocean feather white, and blew so violently 
as to take one of our ship's sails off like a piece of 
rent paper. It was as much as the ship could carry, 
and being directly abeam, it caused her to careen so 



120 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

that the little round window of my state-room, which 
was on the leeward side, was almost on a level with the 
blue ocean. She went like a thing of life, leaping from 
sea to sea, deep laden as she is, at the rate of ten or a 
dozen knots per hour. We enjoyed this sail one whole 
day and night, and it was the most glorious sail I ever 
took, decidedly exceeding a boat excursion around Seguin 
or in Winthrop pond ! To take such a sail, in such a ship, 
in such a gale — was it not worth the price of a passage ? 
And then when night came, and our berth was turned up 
at an angle of 45 degrees, whilst the noble ship rose up one 
mountain and plunged into the next ; was it not the very 
way for ws to " ride and sleep ?" We like the excitement 
— we greet the motion — nothing like it have we enjoyed 
since we were rocked by a mother's foot in the Pilgrim's 
cradle. 



LETTER XI. 

JOTTINGS ON. THE OCEAN. 

A Sabbath at Sea— Peculiar color of the Sea- Water— Thick Fog— Torches 
Burning — A Gale, most sublime Sail — The Stormy Petrel— An Un- 
sleepable Calm — Another Ocean Sabbath — A Wreck fallen in with — 
Drove of Sea-Cows — First Glimpses of Europe — The New World oldest 
— A. realising sense of distance from America — Iceland — Parallels of 
Climate — The Chimneys of Neptune's Palace — Impromptu of a Fellow- 
Passenger on TafFrail — A View, with Ladies, from the Bowsprit — 
Sunset at Sea — Land ho ! — The English Plymouth and Eddystone Light- 
House — Cornwall and Devonshire Counties — France on the right — 
Queen's Sea-side residence, Isle of Wight — Delightful Scenery — Pilot 
on board — Dover and Calais — Julius Caesar's Castle — Duke of Wel- 
lington's Castle on the Downs — Watering Places — Estuary of the 
Thimes — Scenery on the River — Sheerness — Gravesend — Woolwich — 
Greenwich — Arrival in London. 

Sunday, July 13. — The worship of God on the sea 
has some suggestive elements of devotion that are not to 
be found on the land. Who does not feel here that 
heaven is heaven ? and that the earth is not ? at least it 
has disappeared, and the sea only is beheld, fittest emblem 
of inconstancy and doubt, calculated to make one feel 
nearer to his Creator and more dependent upon His 
power and mercy. " An undevout philosopher is mad '* ; 
and yet we have a great many philosophers who sneer at 
the humble Christian's faith and devotions. 

I have worshipped God " in my closet " this day — that 
is, in my state-room, alone ; and Oh ! how sweet and full, 
and free is secret devotion ! There is in that no motive 
11 



122 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

for insincerity or hjpocricy, and this is why our Saviour 
so specially enjoined it on us all. 

Though there are no public religious observances on 
board the ship, I am glad to notice that the Sabbath is 
never profaned by plays or unnecessary work. Even the 
roughest and profanest sailors feel that there is a respect 
due to the holy Sabbath, which they must not altogether 
disregard. 

At noon, 150 miles east of Newfoundland, in the midst 
of the misty Banks. This P. M. one of Cunard's steam- 
packets for Liverpool passed us. With the exception of 
steamers, our ship has outsailed every vessel of the forty 
that left the St. Lawrence in our company. 

Juli/ 14. — Waters on the Banks have a peculiar shade 
of green, like indigo blue that would be green — very 
beautiful, — wish some painter or dyer could imitate the 
color. It is unusual to see them so clear in this region — 
generally they appear muddy. Fog so thick that it con- 
denses upon the canvas and ropes and makes the sails 
and rigging rain smartly on deck. 

July 15. — Fog so thick that the look-out is of no use ; 
there is no seeing the vessel's length. By night, ship 
always has a lantern in her fore rigging ; and on such 
nights as these, torches are burned every few minutes. 
The wind is high, and ship bends down to it as if she 
would go over. We go ten knots, i. e. ten miles, per 
hour. 

July 16. — A young gale from the south — nearly 
abeam ; carried away jib stay, and sail and ropes streamed 
to leeward like ribbons before the wind. Ship leaps over 
the huge seas like a sea-bird, and flies ten miles per 
hour. I have sailed in pleasure-boats on ponds ; I ha^ye 



JOTTINGS ON THE OCEAN. 123 

sailed in packets on the American coast ; but never did I 
enjoy so sublime and glorious a sail as to-day — in a mag- 
nificent ship, under full canvas, upon the broad and 
boundless ocean whose seas run mountains high ; this is 
an ecstacy of pleasurable excitement in the sailing line 
worth a whole voyage hither to enjoy. Horace Greeley 
would condemn it. He has a reason for his reasoning — 
in his stomach, viz. : he is seaside. Old Neptune extorts 
no tribute from me ; he treats me as a friend, and I am 
bound to speak well of his dominions. We are now near- 
ly 1500 miles from Boston. 

July 17. — Numerous sea mews — large handsome 
birds — about the ship. They seem to challenge our ac- 
quaintance. The stormy petrel is seen every day, but 
mostly in storms. This bird is not seen on land or rocks, 
and was never known to alight and close its wings except 
in death. There is a mystery about this bird. Sailors 
dare not kill one, for fear of " bad luck." It is black and 
white, with some yellow-brown, and is handsome to look at, 
but offensive to the smell when taken. It skims over the 
surface of the water perpetually, like swallows over fresh 
rivers and ponds. I know not where they make their 
nests. 

July 18. — Half-way to-day across the Atlantic. 
Favorable winds and splendid sailing. A steamer paws 
her way through the waters like some enraged animal on 
the land, insulting the face of old ocean with every dash 
of her unnatural wheels : our ship sails — she goes of her 
own accord hke " a thing of life." Where am I ? Neither 
in American nor Europe. 

July 19. — A new verse last night in our nautical 
chapter — perfectly calm, with a heavy sea rolling. Oh ! 



124 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

how the tall masts did slat the rigging like whips ; and 
what an unsleepable noise the flapping sails did make ! 
Well, we like to see life in all its aspects. In the P. M. 
heavy rain. It has rained, more or less, every day since 
we left Quebec ; yes, every day, without an exception. 

Sunday, July 20. — This is an Ocean Sabbath. The 
watery shrines of JNature's Temple are filled with what 
the Psalmist calls " things creeping, innumerable," and 
all in their appointed ways bear testimony to the goodness 
of God, for " all Thy yforks, praise Thee." In the pro- 
found silence and awful solitude of this place, man can 
no longer bo called tho High Priest of Nature. He 
directs not the worship of the monsters of tho deep ; that 
worship here was never influenced nor corrupted by pride 
or hypocrisy. The devotion of ocean caves is not unac- 
companied by music — it is the unwritten music of the 
spheres, heard in the roar of mighty winds and the respon- 
sive thunder of the breaking waves. The floor of this 
Temple is hke the Apocalyptic sea of glass, emblem of 
purity itself, and the arching heavens, from the horizon to 
the zenith, constitute its holy dome. In course of the 
service to-day, the incumbent clouds have shed tears from 
compassionate skies, as if in grief over the sins, and the 
thousand nameless ills that sin has brought into our world. 
At other times, the glorious sun has looked out from azure 
fields, as if preaching a sermon to teach us that there are 
light and rest above all the clouds and storms of earth, and 
to call our thoughts up to higher heights, and fix our 
hopes, where infinite goodness reigns over all. 

A ship was seen to-day in the distant horizon, like a 
mere speck upon the ocean. And what are we — any of 
lis — but mere specks upon the great ocean of life, depend- 



I 



JOTTINGS ON THE OCEAN. 125 

ing upon such unseen causes — such winds — as God puts 
in motion — making the awful voyage from time to eter- 
nity, — from a wicked world as it is, to a holy heaven, as 
we hope it may be. " There the wicked cease from 
troubUng, and there the weary be at rest." May God 
teach us so to worship him on our passage thither, that 
we may be prepared, when reaching our journey's end, 
to join with ready and glad zeal the heavenly hosts in 
everlasting praise to Him that sitteth upon the Throne, 
and to the Lamb that was slain for human redemption. 

July 21. — At 4: A. M. fell in with a wreck — lat. 47^., 
55m. N., Ion. 26^. W.; both masts carried aw^ay — one yet 
lying on the deck ; bowsprit standing ; appeared to be 
filled with y/ater ; sea breaking over her ; was about 200 
tons, and a brig ; painted with ports ; run ship under her 
stern, but could not make out her name ; there were three 
stars on her stern, — perhaps, therefore, an American ; — 
looked like the hull of a good vessel ; no person on board ; 
may have been wrecked some time. Alas! there were 
anxious hours in that brig ; whether crew were saved or 
not, have no means of telling. Could old ocean speak, 
what a tale of terrors would she relate ! 

Passed a drove of sea-cows, quietly grazing in the green 
pastures of the deep. At our approach they started in a 
body for a race with us. They scud just under the sur- 
face, occasionally breaking water in their haste. They 
appeared about as large as Christmas hogs — black, with 
white bellies. 

July 22. — Have got nij first ylijnpses of Europe to- 
day ; but they were, as Milton would say, " aery " ones. 
Going on deck shortly after sunrise, I found the whole 
canopy of the heavens covered with clouds, all but a low 
11 " 



126 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

arch in the east, where the curtain was raised to expose a 
strip of blue sky, which was briUiantly illumined by the 
risen sun, that shot his rajs of light upon an undulating 
range of low clouds which rested upon the horizon beneath 
the arch. It seemed as if I could look through that open- 
ing to bright lands beyond. From those lands, indeed, 
the light of science has been sent through opening heavens, 
the full rays of which have irradiated our own Western 
World. By the way, since we have been on our passage, 
I have heard the remark often made that we were bound 
from the New to the Old World. Is it so ? Rather, am 
I inclined to think, they who go from America to Europe, 
go from the Old to the New. Where, in Europe, are 
there Ruin-evidences of an older civilization than was 
once in America ? From Azatlan, the region of our great 
Western lakes, down the Mississippi valley and its tributa- 
ries, to Florida, and across to Mexico, and thence on both 
sides of South America, almost to Cape Horn, are the 
huge ruins of immense cities that bear evidence of deeper 
antiquity than England or France, or even Rome or Greece 
can boast. The largest city which earth ever saw, except- 
ing, perhaps, Egyptian Thebes, was Otolum, in Guata- 
mala. This was a stone city, full of palaces, monuments, 
statues and fountains, the dense ruins of which now cover 
a space thirty-two miles in length by twelve in breadth. 
Is there such a city now in the world ? I do not agree, 
therefore, that it is certainly tnie we are going from the 
New to the Old World. 

When I saw that hght in the east this morning, and the 
radiant mountains — mountains of cloud, although the}' 
were — revealed through the arched heavens before us, if 
Seemed as if I was coming out of the darkness and solitud<: 



JOTTINGS ON THE OCEAN. 127 

that have so long surrounded us, into new regions where 
Europe is ; and for the first time I felt as if I had indeed 
left mj native coast, and was no longer in America. And 
is it so ? With emphasis must I record the ans\ver — it is 
even so ! Farewell my native land ; farewell thou glorious 
Republic ; farewell to that vast continent that is destined 
yet to be filled by a race, the original seed-bed of which I 
am approaching ; — a race made to govern the world, and, 
in due time, difi'use the blessings of religion and liberty to 
a whole world disenthralled, redeemed. England ! as I 
approach thy proud Isle, I do remember that, unkind as 
thou wast to my forefathers, yet from thee did our life- 
blood spring ; and though thou mightest have meant thy 
persecutions of the Pilgrim Fathers for evil, God, counter- 
acting thy designs, meant them for good, — an immeasura- 
ble " good," that will yet bless the nations, and with them, 
thyself. Thy strong Lion did devour, and his devouring 
was an offence that smelt to heaven ; but, as in a former 
case, so in the present, the riddle is solved — '' Out of 
the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came 
forth sweetness." • 

July 23. — The wind hauled aft last evening, blew 
fresh, and we had a fine run all night. I fear we shall 
reach London too soon ! I think I enjoy the sail onboard 
this ship, and my sanctuary in it, better than I can enjoy 
the millions of new sights, and the confusion of the World's 
Metropolis — London, i. e., King Lud Hudibras' town — 
Lud-town, — by corruption, Lon (for Lud,) and don, 
(for ton,) London. The voyage, thus far, has been a ben- 
efit to my health, and if it could continue three months, 
who knows but I should return home safe and sound P 
My appetite is good, and we have better fare than ships 



128 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

in general. Sir James' cow on board, affords us cream 
for the coffee, and milk for other purposes, and we all 
agree that our cook makes the best bread we ever saw — 
or rather, ate. The only thing I complain of is, we have 
too many courses of dishes, and it takes too long to sit 
rolling and pitching at the table. Shipped several seas 
to-day — some, even over the poop-deck. 

July 24. — Iceland is the nearest land to us. The wind 
that has come down from that frozen region for some days 
past, has been cold, so that it has been disagreeable stand- 
ing long on deck. Fires in the cabin, however, are not so 
necessary as they were before we reached and passed the 
Banks. The parallels of climate are, strangely, not north 
and south. We hope some scientific man may yet study 
the laws of those parallels so as to tell us why the cold is 
so much less in the same latitudes in Europe and the Pa- 
cific Ocean, than it is on the Atlantic side of the American 
continent. We want the Geography and a Map of Cli- 
mates. 

Day before yesterday we passed " The Chimneys," 
which Capt. Marryatt searched fior three months and could 
not find. They are laid down on the chart as being in lat. 
48''. N., Ion. 29 W., directly on the route to England, 
and are represented as three huge, rocky columns, pro- 
truding to a fearful height above the water, like three tali 
chimneys, in the midst of the ocean. Those chimneys as- 
cend from Neptune's Palace, and let off the smoke and 
steam from the Nereids' kitchen. We saw the black and 
rolling volumes of pitchy smoke, as they belched up the 
submarine flues, as plainly as Marryatt saw the chimneys 
themselves ; and can now account for all the fogs which 
are bred in the neighborhood of the Grand Banks, and 



JOTTINGS ON THE OCEAN. 129 

which are driven upon our New England coast, in everj 
north-eastern storm. The sportive mermaids, resting upon 
the green waters of the palace yard, combed their lank 
hair as we passed the consecrated spot ; and even Thetis, 
herself, the goddess mother of Achilles, arose in her silvery 
veil, to salute a Yankee ship as she passed. We saw all 
this as plainly as Chartist ever saw the Chimneys, which 
was never at all. 

The sail to-day has been magnijBcently grand ; ay, more 
than that — frightful. The ocean has been in a rage, and 
the ship herself seemed mad with the ocean. Br. M. M. 
Preston, a fellow-passenger, standing at the taffrail, has 
felt inspired to compose the following 

IMPROMPTU. 

The sea doth roll its awful waves ; 

Old Neptune in his fury raves ; 

The god of wind seems angry grown, 

And from his mighty lungs hath blown 

A raging gale. But can it be, 

His wrath in mount lins piles the sea, 

To do vs harm ? Nay, — 'tis not so, 

For safely on our course we go. 

Alluding to some ship we have met laboring against this 
gale, he has added : 

Those who on other courses steer, 
Provoke his awful wrath, I fear; 
They brave his might, excite his ire, 
And reel beneath his vengeance dire ; 
Some friendly god I withstand his power, 
And save them in this fearful hour I 
Forbid, great Jove, that one be lost, 
Of those on raging billows tost. 

I have been out several times to-day to the end of the 
bowsprit, (taking opportunity when its root and the ship's 
bows were not plunged under water,^ and holding on to 
the jib stays, have stood over the fathomless depths of the 
raging ocean, to see the ship in her proud fury come 
towards me, now lifting herself upon a huge sea till almost 



130 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

her keel was exposed ; then plunging her eyes and nose 
into the raging deep. I have even led our lady passengers 
out to witness the sublime exhibition. Could a pleasure- 
party of my home friends procure tickets for one day's 
such a sail in such a ship as this — in the midst of the 
boundless ocean — and return home again at night, to re- 
count the awful excitements of the excursion, they would 
think the expenditure of a V, for such a scene, a price 
small enough for the pleasure. 

July 25. — "A glorious sunset at sea ! " — it is worth 
a long day's sail from land to witness. We have not seen 
the sun set since we left Quebec, nor rise but once, and 
that was this morning, when we beheld it whilst our 
Augusta friends were slumbering in the dead hours of 
midnight, viz., half-past one o'clock, A. M. In this lon- 
gitude, (12^ west from Greenwich,) the sun rises three 
and a half hours before it rises in Boston. 

July 2Q. — Have been abreast the southern coast of 
Ireland all day, but too far distant to see the .green Isle ; 
passed many vessels bound up the Irish channel. Most 
vessels from America for England, pass up the channel to 
Liverpool, that being a near port ; few go direct to Lon- 
don. This gives me sights which few of my own country- 
men see. 

July 27. — I now write in the English channel, between 
France and the island of Great Britain. We entered the 
channel yesterday afternoon. I happened to be the first 
to descry land — and with a glad voice proclaimed " land 
ho ! " to the joy of the whole ship. The cry brought "all 
hands on deck " instayiter. It was the Scilly Islands, that 
lie several miles west of Land's End, the westermost point 



JOTTINGS ON THE OCEAN. 131 

of England. From July 18tli to this date we have been 
"vyonderfullj favored. A wind, as regular as a trade wind, 
north-west bj day, and west by night, has followed us reg- 
ularly — sometimes approaching almost to a gale. It is 
now just three weeks since the pilot left us in the gulf of 
St. Lawrence — a pretty good run on the whole. This 
morning we were charmed with a sight of the cultivated 
farms, the yellow, ripened grain fields and the green forests 
along shore. Pent up so long in the seven by nine cabin, 
snuffing nothing but sea breezes, I should have liked to be 
amongst them a little while to witness the modus operandi 
of English culture, and to Hsten to the music of English 
larks. Nay — more and rather — I should like to enjoy 
the quietness of some of the villages which we see, and join 
my fellow-men, in almost any Christian denomination, in 
worshipping God in a temple of praise. Before noon we 
were off Plymouth, near the harbor of which we could see 
the famous Eddystone Light House. With a glad heart 
could I have leaped on shore and visited that ancient town ; 
it is the one our Pilgrim Fathers embarked from, and the 
last spot in England or Europe they ever saw. I fancied 
I could see their frail bark — bearing little comparison to 
the "New England" ship I am here in — making her 
dubious way to cross the trackless deep for a New World, 
where they could escape the tyranny of the English Throne 
and the English Church. When they found a refuge (it 
is within four miles of where myself was born,) they called 
the place after their English point of departure — Ply- 
mouth. 

Near Plymouth is Dartmoor — a place where American 
seamen, captured in the last war, were imprisoned, and 



132 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

where they were treated with great inhumanity. We re 
membered, as we passed it, the excitement which was 
created by the suffering of our countrymen during the 
war. 

I have now crossed the broad Atlantic — and a great 
pond, indeed, it is. Though we have had no imminent 
perils, I have seen enough of the dangers and deprivations 
of the ocean, to advise all who can stay on land, to remain 
at home. I am now, absolutely in Europe. On my left 
is that most powerful of all the nations of the earth — 
England ; and on my right is France — the field of Napo- 
leon's dreadful glory. 

We pass Cornwall and Devonshire counties to-day, as far 
as Portland Race, hoping to make the Isle of Wight to- 
night, where the Royal Family has a summer residence, 
and to reach the mouth of the Thames to-morrow. But at 
this time a severe wind rages from the south-west, accom- 
panied by a dense fog, and there are vessels innumerable, 
and rocks and shoals and counter-currents none too few, 
on all the path-way before us, with a lee shore that affords 
no safe harbor in a gale. Such is life, and life as it has 
been ordained by the Creator ; it becomes us to hve with a 
becoming submission to all his will. 

The English Channel is probably one of the most dan- 
gerous places for navigation in the world, liable to heavy 
gales, thick fogs, strong tides, counter currents, sunken 
ledges, shoals, and protectless shores. The ship lies down 
to it, and runs as if in a hurry to arrive somewhere. 

Several Channel pilots have come alongside to-day ; 
but their route, not being as ours is, to London, have ob- 
tained no job. In each case of disappointment however, 



JOTTINGS ON THE OCEAN. 133 

they have begged our Captain to throw overboard a piece 
of beef and a bottle of whiskey for them, lashed to a cord- 
wood stick. He has sent them the beef — the whiskey 
they must go without. 

If nothing happens we hope to reach the Thames to- 
morrow, and London the day after. Of course I shall 
write from that city immediately ; but to make sure of 
this beforehand, I shall, if I have opportunity, send the 
present paper on shore to be mailed from the nearest ac- 
cessible point, not doubting you and our readers will de- 
sire to hear from me across the water at the earhest mo- 
ment. 

July 28. — Passed Isle of Wight three o'clock, A. M. 
— the garden of England ; Osborn Cattle is here, the sear- 
side residence of Her Majesty and Royal Family. It was 
gray morning, and the outlines of the Island, with its 
lofty towers, castellated walls, and the Royal Navy moored 
within, near Portsmouth, appeared at once sombre and 
pleasing, gloomy and hopeful. The chalky chffs of the 
shores appear like high perpendicular walls, white in the 
glistening sun like alabaster. The lands back from the 
coast appear handsome — fenced with green hedges and 
chalk walls, occasionally an unpainted cottage upon them 
for the poor laborers' quarters, whilst they work for the 
support of the idle lords that own the whole region. 
There do not appear to be any orchards. We see here 
no public roads, lined with neat farm cottages, as in New 
England. Delighttul as much of the scenery is here, it 
does not impress me so agreeably as the lands upon Long 
Island Sound. Took a pilot in this P. M., oflf Dungeness 
Light House, eighteen miles west of Dover — distance 
12 



134 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

hence to the mouth of the Thames about fifty miles. All 
this afternoon we have had a fair view of the coast of 
France bordering upon the channel — so that at least I 
have seen France. A site for Dover appears to be cut 
from the channel into the chalky cliff, upon which stands 
boldly forth the castle first built by Julius Caesar. It is a 
huge, venerable structure. 

July 29. — Ship came to anchor last night in the Downs. 
Before that, in the afternoon, we passed Dover, and saw 
also the chalk cliff of Shakspeare, the castle upon it, built 
by Julius Caesar ; Calais and the French coast in plain 
sight — so that we see the two most powerful European 
kingdoms at once. On the Cliff is Queen Anne's Pocket 
Piece, a huge cannon, with this inscription : — 

^* Swab me out, and keep me clean, 
I'll send a ball to Calais Green." 

It is eighteen miles to Calais, on the French side. The 
Downs Bay is beautiful. The morning sun disclosed to us 
its red gravel beach, and the lordly estates overlooking it. 
The Duke of Wellington's mansion and castle are on the 
Downs, very near our ship. The castle looks warlike 
enough to defend the Iron Duke, and the mansion is an 
octagonal edifice, built in terraces, surrounded by forest 
trees. His farms appear well tilled ; — I notice that all 
his wheat and other grain are sown in drills — the fields 
look beautifully indeed, and his farm-houses appear as if 
he was willing his workmen should live in comfort and 
pleasure. He is popular in England, and is at the head 
of the Army. He is also Lord Warden of the Cinque 
Ports, an obsolete oflBce, but that, with its great salary, is 
continued to him to reward him for his services. He is a 



JOTTINGS ON THE OCEAN. 135 

Peer of the Realm, and a created Duke. The Victor of 
Waterloo lives where he can at all times look over to that 
nation whose great Captain he conquered. The handsome 
towns of Deal, Handwich, and Ramsgate, a fashionable 
waterino^-place for London gentry, are all on this Bay. 

Soon after weighing anchor this morning, an ocean tow- 
boat, the ^' Secret" of London, came alongside, and took 
us in tow. The day proved pleasant, and the sail from the 
Downs, through the Thames estuary, exposing such mag- 
nificent seats on the rich shores, and so vast an amount of 
shipping of all nations on the water, has been what few 
people in America are privileged to see. It has been the 
most enchanting day I ever beheld. Say what we will 
about England, she has things in greater perfection than 
any other nation . 

Juli/ 30. — A warm, pleasant day — a rarity herea- 
bouts. The scenery on the river, and both sides is beau- 
tiful indeed, consisting of relics of feudal times — towers, 
ruined castles, and castles not in ruins, — cultivated 
grounds, parks, forests, — and no orchards. The elm 
trees are pruned to all shapes — crucifixes, towers, horses, 
ships, &c. For a long time I could not satisfy myself 
what they were, till the pilot explained them to me. The 
lands are not spotted as in New England, with white cotta- 
ges of independent farmers ; but here and there is a 
castle or mansion, half hid by trees. Passing Woolwich 
Navy Yard, the gloomy prison-ships — a dozen — lie 
moored in the stream, with ports iron-grated. One huge 
hulk, the " Dreadnought," is a hospital ship, where sick 
sailors of any nation are taken care of gratuitously. 

Passing Greenwich, which is the centre of the earth, 
east and west, according to English longitude, and noticing 



136 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

the celebrated Hospital and Observatory on the hill, we 
proceeded up river, surrounded by the beautiful things of 
earth, and amidst a world of water-craft, and arrived in 
London at 12 M., (8 o'clock in Maine,) and rounded to 
between two Spanish Men-of-War. Shortly after, ship 
hauled into the West India Dock, and I stepped on land 
once more ; but it was English land in Europe. The 
laws of Nature are the same on all Continents, and the 
earth here looks as it does at home. The interminable 
city is before me. Of that I must write hereafter. 



LETTER XII. 



LONDON AS SEEN FROM THE DOME OF ST. PAULS. 

Immense size of London — Extent of its Parks — Ludgate Hill — Temple 
Bar — Closed against the Sovereign — St. Paul's Cathedral — The Choir — 
Monuments — Whispering Gallery — Structure of the Dome — The Ball— « 
View of London — Shape of the Thames — Beauty of the Parks — The 
Docks — Vaiilts — Black wall Railway — Tower of London — Parliament 
House — Hyde, and contiguous Parks — Queen's Palace — Regent's Park, 
— Zoological Gardens — Victoria Park — Greenwich Park — Smithlleld, — 
Various public Edifices — Windsor Castle — Visitors to the Great Ex- 
hibition 

London, August 1, 1851. 

At length I am in London, tlie World's Metropolis, the 
seat of that woman's power on whose dominions the sun 
in heaven never sets. I left home on the 12th of June, 
and reached this great city on the 30th July. Large as 
my ideas were of its extent and magnificence, " the half 
had not been told me." Take every incorporated city of 
the United States, with its population as I have it before 
me in the census of 1840 (that of the last year has not 
yet been published,) and run them all into one, and the 
whole would make a city but a little more than half the 
size of London ! Or, let the reader, in imagination, if 
he will, mark out before him a territory spacious enough 
to contain every man, woman and child, with every build- 
ing, large and small, public and private, in Maine, New 
12* 



138 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and 
Connecticut, all of New England being thus brought 
together, with sufficient compactness to constitute one 
continuous " settlement,'' and then he would have before 
him a city about as large, but by no means as splendid, as 
the one I am now in. He mignt feel impelled, also, to 
swell this area, if we required him to provide rural open- 
ings in this immense city, in the shape of squares, com- 
mons and parks, amounting to twenty farms of one hundred 
acres each — the sweet breathing, and bathing and sport- 
ing places of all the inhabitants, ornamented with trees, 
shrubbery and flowers and jets and cascades and statu- 
ary and monuments, and lakes with graceful swans sitting 
upon them, and glistening gold-fish, and others of the 
piscatory tribes swimming beneath the surface, and herds 
of deer and goats and sheep and cattle grazing upon the 
closely shaven and ever verdant greensward, whose bor- 
ders are exactly lined by smoothest carriage roads and 
foot-paths in all directions. These are the blessed health 
laboratories for the rich and poor, and the old and young 
of the greatest city in the world. There are more com- 
mons in the heart of London than Uncle Sam has afforded 
to all the cities of the Republic put together. Lon- 
don has a resident population of more than 2,500,000.* 
It has increased very rapidly within the last ten years, and 
at the present time (1851) it contains probably more than 
three milHons of souls. It covers an area of 14 miles long 



♦The population of London, including the whole metropolis, according 
to the census of 1841, was 2,560,281, viz :— Within the walls, 54,62(5 ; with- 
out the walls, 70,332; London and suburbs, 1,873,676 ; London and West- 
minster, 347,061 ; Southwark, 98,648 ; Lambeth, lU,8QQ."—D/sturneirs 
American and European Railway Guide, New York, London, and Paris; 
miblished 1851. 



LONDON SEEN FROM ST. PAUL'S. 139 

bjl3 miles wide, and has more than 10,000 streets. Lon- 
don, therefore, is quite a village^ and is worth seeing. 
But where shall we command a view of it ? At St. Paul's, 
of course — hardlj any where else. That is on Ludgate 
Hill, near the centre of the city, and is itself three hun- 
dred and fifty feet high, from the ground floor to the top 
of the dome. Let us go thither, and take bird's eye view 
of the giant city — London. The Author wants his rea- 
ders should see all that he has crossed the broad Atlantic 
to behold. 

But first, let us notice the building itself, from whose 
high lantern we propose to behold the city. It is a 
counterfeit Roman Catholic Temple — a real Protestant 
one, never was, and never can be, built. Even Wren, 
himself, who designed this, after the Reformation, was 
mortified with the Protestant fact, that he could do no more 
than to have a place for worship in one small end of it — 
a choir, as it is called, in the Temple. This is all which the 
sacred purpose of the Church requires or can possibly 
make use of for purposes of ivorship ; — the rest is ordi- 
narily, a show shop for the collecting of shilHng fees. It 
is called St. Paul's for the sake of imitating, and yet differ- 
ing from, the head quarters of the Catholics at Rome, 
called St. Peter's. That however, which is even larger 
than St. Paul's in London, can be and is wliolly used for 
worship and nothing else, the Catholic service being 
universal enough to comprehend the largest building, even 
the universe itself. St. Paul's is commonly classed as 
the second of Christian Temples in the world, — in com- 
pleteness, unity of design and solidity of structure, it is 
undoubtedly the first. 



140 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

It is situated in the heart of the old Roman city, which 
is now but a small part of the whole city, as it has exten- 
ded on all sides from the parent hive. Old London is 
only like a single Ward, in the centre of New York ; and 
is itself about as large as New York. The other Wards 
extend in all directions, and are, in fact, different munici- 
palities, though the whole is considered London. Some of 
the walls of the old city are yet standing, the entrance 
through which is at Temple Bar, in Fleet Street, just 
below Ludgate Hill, which leads up to the Temple from 
the west. This gate is always open, except when the 
King or Queen is about to enter the city in state ; then it 
is closed, to let Her or His Majesty know that the Sover- 
eign of the Realm cannot approach old London without 
the consent of the Lord Mayor. Such is the Constitution 
inherited from feudal times, that the corporation of Lon- 
don, within the walls, is above the government of the 
kingdom. When the Sovereign, with her officers of 
State, proposes to enter London, — and she cannot enter 
by any other avenue than Temple Bar, — the huge gates 
are closed against her, and a Royal Herald from without, 
with a trumpet proclaims the presence of the Sovereign 
and asks permission to enter. The Lord Mayor and his 
suite within the walls, respond to the call and cause 
the gate to be opened, when he makes a speech permitting 
the King or Queen and suite to enter, and in token of his 
subjection, places his sword of office in the Sovereign's 
hand. On either side of the Gate are colossal statues of 
the two Charleses. Let us wend our way along the 
Strand, pass through the Gate and ascend towards the 
great Cathedral at the upper end of Ludgate Street. 



LONDON SEEN FROM ST. PAUL'S. 141 

The stores and shops on both sides are surpassingly rich. 
Broadway in New York is indeed cheap to it. 

What mighty edifice is that up at the end of this 
street, so wide that the street itself can expose but 
half its front, and so high that it makes all the proudest 
buildings around it shrink into insignificance ? It is St. 
Paul's Cathedral. It afiects us w^ith an impression of 
grandeur and beauty. The facade before us consists of a 
pediment sustained by a double colonnade, and is flanked 
by two massive towers that give effect to the grandeur of 
the vast dome, which rises from the centre of the cross. 
The building on the ground is in the form of a crucifix. 
The conversion of St. Paul is sculptured in relief upon 
the pediment ; statues of the Evangelists look down from 
the angles, on the lofty dome a lantern rests, and this 
is surmounted by the simple but expressive emblem of the 
Christian faith — the cross of the Redeemer. 

Let us enter. A fat porter meets us with a face plump 
and soft, perforated at the eyes and mouth and having a 
slight projection where a Yankee generally has a nose. 
London porter or beer is evidently half his living. His 
attendance, at present, during the Great Exhibition, is 
paid for by the Government, and therefore, visitors are 
not now taxed ; but at other times, this and all other 
porters must have their sixpences and their shillings for 
showing the various parts of the edifice, the whole of 
which amount to five English shillings, or $1,20 Yankee. 

Advancing to the centre of the building, we find it, as 
I have said, in the form of a cross, having, in its greater 
length, a pruicipal nave, divided from two side aisles by 
splendid rows of massive pillars. Over the intersection 
of the nave and transept, swells the noble dome three 



142 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

hundred and fifty feet towards the mid heavens ! It is 
painted in fresco, with appropriate subjects from St. 
Paul's life. Around the base of the dome is a rich gallery, 
from which are hung out various trophies acquired in blood 
and war — particularly the banners taken by Nelson in 
battle. Whether St. Paul, or his master Christ, would 
consider such glory appropriate to the glory of the 
Christian church, I need not say here. 

The only Church there is in St. Paul's, is the portion 
of the ground floor that constitutes the head of the cross, 

— the eastern end of the nave. This is divided from the 
main floor by a heavy screen, surmounted by a monster 
organ. Here religious service is performed every day, 
and is the only part of this Temple of worship devoted to, 
or that can be occupied for, the purpose for which the 
whole building professes to have been built. Let us enter 
and see — such a place as the Lord of glory was not born 
in. It is rich, magnificent and gaudy beyond compare. 
Every thing conspires to impress one with the proud dis- 
tinction amongst our fellotv men^ and the grandeur of 
ivorms, — nothing to remind us of Him in whose name 
this haughty edifice is erected. At the east end, under 
an immense window of intersecting rays of many-colored 
lights, reflected upon golden images and silver statues and 
purple canopies, is the altar before which nobility adopts 
the/orm of humility. In front is the rostrum or pulpit. 
On its right and left, high upon the embossed walls, are 
the thrones of the Lord Bishop and the Lord Mayor of 
London, adjacent to which are the richest stalls for the 
city Aldermen. Perhaps God is worshipped in St. Paul's 

— we hope he is. Divine service is held here every day 



LONDON SEEN FROM ST. PAUL's. 143 

• 

— meanwhile all must be seated in the Choir, or remain 
in the grand vestibule quietly. 

Now let us look amongst the aisles and angles for the 
monuments erected to the memory of the illustrious dead. 
That of Dr. Johnson is a fine one ; but I can never forget 
his malice towards the fame of Milton, because he was a 
Republican Secretary of Oliver Cromwell and opposed to 
the Episcopal Church. In his Life of Milton he has 
assailed his character at every point, public and private. 
It was mean, indeed. We bow before the monument of 
Howard the Philanthropist, with dijBferent emotions than 
those which we feel at the shrine of Johnson. Nelson's 
is a splendid one. Its sculpture is perfect. Packenham 
who fell in the battle of New Orleans ; Ross who was 
killed at Baltimore, and other human butchers are here. 
The inscriptions are all appropriate. But the prettiest 
monument is just no monument at all — Sir Christopher 
Wren's He was England's greatest Architect. He 
built this Temple, and indeed all the rest of London, 
after its destruction by fire in 1666 All that is said of 
him is a plain inscription over the entrance to the choir 

— "Here, beneath, lies Christopher Wren, builder of 
this church and city, who lived more than ninety years, 
not for his own but the public good. Reader ! if you 
seek his monument — look around you !^^ This edifice 
though 35 years in being erected, was built under one 
Lord Bishop, by one Architect and one master Carpenter. 
But we must not loiter here. 

Let us go up to the Whispering Gallery, which encircles 
the Dome. A secure promenade is formed by a circular 
railing of iron, round the cornice. Here look aloft to the 
Dome, and admire its storied frescoes; now look down 



144 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

with dizzj wonder upon the pavement you left below, and 
see the diminished forms of the visiters who loiter about 
the aisles and angles. When the orphan children, sup- 
ported by city charity^ are all there in uniform, as they 
are on great festival days, the spectacle from this gallery 
is beautiful indeed. A porter invites us to sit down and 
put an ear to the wall of the Dome. Immediately we 
hear a very audible whisper — " Are you Americans ? " 
Yes. " Then the dignity of your repubUcanism doubtless 
is gratified in noticing that in Sir Christopher Wren's 
inscription, he has the title of his oivn name simply ; and 
that his monument is reared only in Ids work. He was 
thirty-five years in building this Cathedral. It cost seven 
million five hundred thousand dollars — American money." 
To show us the eJBfect of shutting a small door in the ceil- 
ing, he brought it suddenly to, and the noise was hke the 
heaviest clap of thunder. 

Having visited the great bell, the hbrary &c., let us 
ascend the dome to the lantern and look out upon the 
boundless city. As we go, we will notice the structure of 
the dome, by which it is made a whispering gallery. It 
consists of three separate shells, springing from a common 
base, but separating and becoming distinct at the top. 
The inner one, seen from within, is of brick. A short 
distance from its base a second dome, also of brick, springs 
from the first, and ascending with a curve of much greater 
circle, terminates in the key stone and lantern which 
support the bells. Encompassing the second shell, a third 
one constitutes the dome as seen from without, and whose 
curve is singularly beautiful. It is ribbed, and sub-divided 
like an orange after the rind is removed. We pass up 
— a long and fatiguing journey, between the first and 



LONDON SEEN FROM ST. PAUL'S. 145 

second shells, till we reach the huge ball into which we 
enter by perpendicular steps. The ball is of copper and 
is very ingeniously constructed. We hardly feel safe 
here — the wind sways the ball so fearfully. Let us 
descend upon a light gallery which encircles the top of the 
Dome at the base of the lantern. Here we can see 
London. It is well we came so early in the morning, and 
we are very fortunate in finding the atmosphere tolerably 
clear. Later in the day, and almost every day, the 
combined smokes and fogs of London and the Thames 
hang like a black pall upon the whole city, and little is to 
be seen from any position. Now we are ready for the 
business on account of which we gained this high ascent. 

What do you see ? A wilderness of roofs, and steeples, 
and masts, and forest trees in parks, as far as the eye can 
distinguish city from country. But now for a little local 
geography. We are on the north side of the river. Let 
us look southward. The Thames, averaging 1,024 feet 
wide, winds its way through the centre of this world of 
buildings, like a great artery, crossed over by eight most 
splendid bridges, which cost $6,000,000 each ; andwwJer 
by the Thames Tunnel, all, but the last, above the upper 
half of the city, and studdied from the lowest, or old London 
Bridge, as far as we can see down river, with ships from 
all nations, crowded together, whose masts look like an 
interminable cedar swamp ; and above said bridge, with 
steamers, yachts, sail-boats, and all shapes of substantial 
or fanciful navigation, with oars glistening in the sun. 
These are so constructed as to pass under the high arches 
of the several bridges. The main course of the river is 
from east to west, but through the principal part of the 
13 



146 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

city, before us, and at our right and left, is of an ox-bow 
shape, swelling northward, and in due time regaining its 
straight course eastward below, and westward above us, in 
shape much like a joiner's bitt-stock. We are near the 
bottom of the bow, but three or four streets from the river, 
in front. 

The density of this world of buildings is hardly relieved 
by the apparent threadings of the streets in any direction ; 
for the height of the edifices is so great as to hide from 
our view the travelled pathway upon the earth beneath. 
There is a rehef however, and it is Si grateful one, on every 
side ; occasioned by the green openings of shady commons 
and squares and parks, like ornamented farms and gardens 
in the midst of the city, with their glistening lakes, and 
running streams, and falhng cascades ; and there is another 
thing which looks absolutely astonishing ; — it is the fields 
of ships floating in the heart of the town, their tall masts 
peering up amongst the battlements and steeples of sur- 
rounding buildings. These ships are in the Docks, where 
money without stint, has been expended in constructing 
basins, in from the river, whose walls and quays are of 
handsomest marble, fringed with magnificent warehouses. 
Into these the ships are taken through gates and canals, 
from the river into the centres of business. There are 
fourteen of these Docks, besides several basins, having 
apparently no connexion with the river. They lie at our 
left, or eastern portion of the city, on both sides of the 
Thames. That nearest to us is St. Katharine's Dock, 
built in 1824. To obtain the space it occupies, 1,250 
houses were taken down. It covers twenty-four acres, 
and the cost of the structure, saying nothing of the 
expense for damages, v/as over eleven millions of dollars. 



LONDON SEEN FROM ST. PAULAS. 147 

All the Docks, with their Avarehouses, cover 295 acres. 
Cellars are under the bordering warehouses, deep as the 
Docks themselves. In these are the London wine and 
porter vaults. Our ship finds her position in the South 
West India Dock, nearly four miles from where we now 
are. From that part of the city, the Blackwall Railroad 
runs up to the city proper, within the old walls, over the 
tops of the buildings. 

Near the termination of this Railway, a mile south of us, 
stands the Toiver of London. It consists of a nondescript 
mass of buildings, surrounded by a moat, which was 
once a sheet of water, fenced by a high exterior granite 
wall. The Tower buildings are within this enclosure. 
There is a subterranean passage to them from the river, 
covered by a bridge, called the Traitor's Bridge. This 
Tower was the Royal Palace in the reign of King William 
the Conqueror ; but subsequently it became the prison for 
kings and queens, and here Anne Boleyn's (wife of Henry 
VIII.) head was chopped off; the axe which executed 
her is yet exliibited in it ; and here the two sons of Edward 
IV. were murdered by their uncle, who desired to inherit 
the throne himself. It is a place of bloody history. 

About two miles above us, on this side the river's bank, 
just below Westminster Bridge, is the Parliament House ; 
a structure not yet quite completed, but now occupied by 
the House of Lords and Commons. It is worthy, in 
splendor, the seat of that Government whose power is 
greatest on earth. That large, gloomy pile of buildings, 
just west of the Parliament House, is the celebrated West- 
minster Abbey, which we must visit ere long, in whose 
cavernous vaults repose the bones of England's kings and 
queens, and dukes and nobles, and what are better, her 



148 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

literary and benevolent men, that distinguished themselves 
in the kingdom. About a mile above, on the same side 
is the Metropolitan Penitentiary, covering several acres of 
ground, and one of the wonders of the world. This we 
must visit. 

Looking west from the Parhament House, directly at our 
right, are St. James' Park, (87 acres,) Green Park, (56 
acres,) Hyde Park, (360 acres,) and Kensington Gardens, 
(300 acres,) running into each other, all ranging westerly. 
These contain more than 800 acres of ground. Bucking- 
ham Palace, the Queen's residence, is at the head of St. 
James' Park, which overlooks the grounds and a lake in 
front, and has a splendid garden in the rear. Nearly 
opposite her palace, at the foot of Hyde Park, is Aps- 
ley House, where Lord Wellington, the conqueror of 
Napoleon, has his court residence. His home is on the 
Downs. He is now over eighty years of age, and has a 
controlling influence in the House of Lords. A statue of 
Achilles stands before his house, cast from the brass cannon, 
taken by him in several of his battles. Hyde Park, the 
third on this range, is larger than either of the two just 
named. It contains 660 acres, including the famous 
Kensington Gardens. The Crystal Palace is on the south 
side of this park, just in front of the Gardens. A serpen- 
tine sheet of water, called Serpentine River, occupies a 
central portion of the Park, from the banks of which the 
pictures we generally see of the Palace, are taken. 

A mile or two at the north of Hyde Park, is, if possible, 
a more splendid one than ever, — the Regent'' s Park ; 
leading from which to the old city, is Regent Street, the 
fashionable street of London. This park is nearly circular, 
and contains 450 acres, besides a beautiful lake. On the 



LONDON SEEN FROM ST. PAUL'S. 149 

north side are the Zoological Gardens, which are of trian- 
gular form, large, and filled with all wild animals, made 
safe to behold. They are worth a month's journey to visit. 
In the centre are the Botanic Gardens, of circular form, 
where the science of universal botany is practically 
demonstrated. North of this is Primrose Hill, surround- 
ing which are spacious public grounds. Victoria Park is 
a new and beautiful one at the north-east of us, about three 
miles distant. This embraces 800 acres. All these Parks 
are fenced with iron of fantastic castings, shaded by trees, 
divided by carriage-ways, side-walks, foot-paths, &c.; and 
the grass is neatly shaven and bordered with curb-stones 
or box-wood ; the water abounds in fish and aquatic fowl, 
and the trees with sweet birds — amongst which the night- 
ingale is heard in its season, all night. Carriages of all 
shapes, and with the most costly decorations, — ladies and 
gentlemen on horseback and on donkeys — children drawn 
by dogs or goats harnessed in beautiful little coaches, and 
thousands and tens of thousands of pedestrians, from grave 
to gay, continually make a moving tide of life and anima- 
tion in all parts of these inimitably beautiful, refreshing 
and healthy Parks. They are called the lungs of London. 
Opposite us, on the south side of the Thames, are also 
open squares, commons and parks, such as Greenwich 
Park, (200 acres,) Vauxhall Gardens, the Oval Park, 
Surrey Square, and Surrey Zoological Gardens, Lambeth 
Palace Gardens, &c., — all for the comfort of the people, 
in every direction. We wish our American cities whilst 
they were young, and when lands were cheap, had done 
one-half as much as old London has done to bring the 
country into town, and mingle verdure with pavements, 
and rural sweetness with dust and confusion. I have 
18 * 



150 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

before seen cities in the country/, but never before have 
seen the country in a city. 

A little in rear of us, amongst a dense mass of buildings, 
is an open space called Smithfield, where John Rogers was 
burned at the stake. In the same direction, a little larther 
off, is a square, on which is the Charter House, where the 
sacred Magna Charta of England is deposited, which was 
wrested from an ancient sovereign. West of these are the 
House of Correction, Foundling Hospital, British Museum, 
Lincoln's Inn Fields, with twelve beautiful acres attached, — 
all splendid edifices. And then in the same part of the town 
are Euston Square, Russell Square, Bedford Square, and 
Mecklenberg Square. Further south, not far above the 
Parliament House, is Bridewell Prison, Chelsea Hospital, 
and the Royal Military Asylum, the Horse Guards, &c. 
Indeed, there is no end to the magnificent structures, and 
the beautiful green spots all over this vast city. The Bank 
of England is a dozen streets at our left, occupying a whole 
square which is not " square," bounded by Thread-needle 
Street, Prince's Street, and Lothbury Street. Beneath 
us, the rich streets of Ludgate, Paternoster Row, Fleet 
Street, Cheapside, Newgate, Cornhill, Holburn, and mul- 
titudes of others, leading into and out of them. Look 
down, down from this lofty dome, upon the most busy and 
populous part of this most populous city in the world ! See 
the vehicles of all sorts, whether luxurious or useful. Hear 
the voices, unbounded and deafening. The bells ring, the 
wheels clatter, the hoofs of the struggling horses resound 
on the pavements ! what a chaos of wild, everlasting 
tumult ! To look and listen here long will overpower us ; 
we must away. 



LONDON SEEN FROM ST. PAUL's. 161 

On all sides, as far as the eye can reach — it is London 
— London — and nothing but London — where it ends, 
who can tell ? The mass of habitations is everywhere 
interspersed with steeples and chimneys of enormous height, 
belching forth smoke that buries the city before noon in a 
perpetual cloud, and gives to everything the fashionable 
color of London smoke. Up the river, eighteen miles, 
just beyond the last boundaries of the city, in what might 
be yet called the city, if continuous buildings make it such, 
is Windsor Castle, the Royal Palace, the principal resi- 
dence of Her Majesty, where the heirs to the throne first 
open their eyes on this beautiful world. In Eton College, 
opposite, they are educated. The Park which surrounds 
the castle, embraces 1000 acres, most highly ornamented 
and richly cultivated. Her Majesty's kitchen garden 
covers thirty-two acres. The whole, with most of the 
queen's palace itself, is open for the public to visit two 
days in a week. Visitors, however, must be able to com- 
mand a recommendation from some high responsibility, to 
the Lord Chamberlain, and obtain his ticket of permission. 
We must go up and see the queen. There is a railroad 
all the way, and the ride is accomplished in half an hour. 

Let us descend now from this lofty height and mix with 
the w^orld of beings and things below us — directing our 
steps first to Hyde Park, to visit the Crystal Palace, and 
witness the great exhibition there, which gathers its 75,000 
visitors daily. 



LETTER XIII. 

MK. LAWRENCE ST. JAMES' PARK AND BUCKINGHAM PALACE. 

Mr. Lawrence's Residence on Piccadilly — Introduction to him — His kind 
attentions — St. James' Park — Buckingham Palace — The Queen's Public 
Promenade — Her Majesty's Character — Prince Albert — The Royal 
Garden. 

London, August 2, 1851. 

I CALLED yesterday on Hon. Abbot Lawrence, our 
Minister, (as a Yankee, I am proud to say our minister) 
at the Court of St. James. He resides in the most 
fashionable part of London, at the West End, on Piccadil- 
ly, which is to London what Beacon street is to Boston. 
It looks out, across the way, directly upon St. James'. 
Park, a most lovely field of green-sward, shade-trees, 
flowering shrubs, arbors, s tatues, fountains, gravel-walks 
with innumerable people walking thereon ; carriage roads, 
with coaches of the nobility and gentry ; and miniature 
vehicles drawn, some by goats and some by dogs, carrying 
children out to ride ; race courses with fleetest horses 
practicing against the stake days, and donkeys saddled and 
bridled to be let for riding by the hour to boys and girls ; 
and beautiful small lakes or ponds on whose placid bosom 
graceful swans — some purest white, others jet black, — 
and other aquatic birds are sailing near the shores, watch- 
ing for some generous boys to feed them with grain or 



MR. LAWRENCE. 153 

fragments of bread, cake, &c. In full view, at the head 
of this Park, are seen the stately edifices of Buckingham 
Palace, the town residence of England's prolific mother, 
Queen Victoria, and her Roj^al family. Mr. Lawrence 
lives in a style comporting with the elegance of his resi- 
dence and the splendor of his location, though I saw noth- 
ing inconsistent with that true dignity and beauty which 
should ever characterize an honest Republicanism. He is 
very wealth}' , and is able to sustain by his own private 
means the honors of his country at the Imperial Court, 
which, indeed, are very important here. The expense of 
maintaining such an establishment must be very great — I 
dare say he is none the richer for his salary. Most freely 
does he give his money, his time and his service to his 
country ; and I am exceedingly pleased with his zealous 
devotion to American interests, and to the ready, frank 
and generous manner in which he endeavors to serve his 
countrymen whose business or pleasure have brought them 
to England. They are sure to find a friend in him. It 
is a blessed arrangement of our Government that appoints 
one Minister and the requisite number of Consuls abroad, 
not only to conduct the intercourse of Nations, but to 
befriend American citizens in strange countries. So much 
comes of Christian civilization. 

Ringing the bell at the vestibule, a neatly clad page 
opened the door, which introduced me to a ready porter in 
the ante-room, who passed me on to a gentlemanly waiter 
at the foot of the stairs, the rich carpets of which were 
covered by white linen. Ascending a circuitous flight, we 
noticed the paintings upon the walls by the way. Arrived 
at the head, our outer garment, hat, &c. were received, 
and we conducted into an adjacent room, richly furnished, 



154 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

to rest till our card could be sent in to Mr. Lawrence. In 
a few minutes the doors were opened, and we were 
ushered into a large front parlor, fronting upon the Park. 
The walls were hung with splendid pictures, some of 
national and others of family designs. Several American 
gentlemen were in the room, in the centre of which, at a 
round marble table, sat Mr. Lawrence. He is of good 
size, somewhat portly in person, of a very gentlemanly 
deportment, and with a grey eye expressive of much 
vivacity and kindness. He arose and saluted us. I pre- 
sented him my letter of introduction from Hon. D. Bron- 
son, also my commission from Gov. Hubbard. He was 
very happy to hear from his old friend Bronson, and was 
glad our State had thought of being represented on an 
occasion so important to the industrial interests of the 
world as the present. He would do every thing for me 
in his power — but the season for conventions, meetings, 
committees, &c., had transpired at an earlier date, and 
much could not be done now but by observation and 
personal intercourse. He commended me to Mr. Dodge, 
the American Agent at the Crystal Palace. 

Mr. Lawrence was so kind as to furnish us with pass- 
ports to France, and his Secretary, Mr. Davis, who made 
them out, was very sorry there was nothing to pay for 
them. Mr. L. receives no fees for any such services, 
though all the other officers of Foreign Governments tax 
liberally for such papers. He also gave me tickets to 
attend the sessions of the House of Lords, the House of 
Commons, and to visit Windsor Castle, the Queen's resi- 
dence out of the city. I shall call on Mr. Lawrence 
frequently, and feel that I have a friend in the American 



MR. LAWRENCE. 155 

minister, who so ably and so devotedly represents his 
glorious country before the highest court in the world. 

From Piccadilly I entered the Park, — the day was 
beautiful — and deHghted myself in witnessing the attrac- 
tions which art and nature combined can give to some of 
the chosen spots of this green earth. All around me was 
one wide, roaring, interminable city ; here was a sweetly 
fragrant air and the richest rural beauties, reposing in 
quietness beneath the shade of venerable Enghsh Oaks 
and Yews and Chesnuts and Elms and Lindens. In due 
time we had sauntered to the Queen's Palace. Painted 
sentry boxes were occasionally outside the beautiful wire 
fence that surrounded it, and British soldiers, clad in red 
coats, white pants, and high fur caps, with bright guns, 
were marching guard from post to post, to protect Her 
Majesty from intrusion. The gate was opened and we 
entered the yard, whence the royal carriages pass out and 
in ; we advanced through the central arch in the main 
part of the Palace, and viewed the open court of the 
quadrangle. No one can enter the Palace but by an 
order from the Lord Chamberlain. The Palace front has 
three tiers of windows, twenty three in a tier (including 
the central colonnade) and is of Romanesque architecture 
— of hewn stone, cut and carved according to scientific 
rules. A stone balustrade rises above the eaves, and in 
the centre three towers arise, on the highest of which is 
the British Crown, and on the other two the Lion and the 
Unicorn rearing towards it. On the ends are also eleva- 
tions with huge statues of some of the old sovereigns. 
The building itself is quadrangular, and in describing the 
front, I have but described one of the four sides of it. 
The open space in the centre is where the young kings 



156 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

and queens play and ride their ponies. This Palace was 
rebuilt in 1703 by the Duke of Buckingham — hence its 
name, Buckingham Palace. Before that the Royal resi- 
dence was in Somerset Palace, which now stands on the 
bank of the Thames near the Waterloo Bridge. This, I 
think, is the handsomest building of the two. Old King 
George III., whose crown lost the thirteen American 
jewels, resided in Buckingham Palace, and in it I believe 
most of his numerous family of children were born — 
(Victoria's are born at Windsor Castle.) It was also the 
residence of George lY . and the late sailor King William. 
Victoria thinks that English law, rather than EngUsh 
bayonets, ought to protect her, and she is not very shy of 
going out and being seen by her subjects, the people. I 
must see her before I leave England. In front of the 
palace is a wide road arched by trees, extending across 
the park. This is the Queen's Way, and she often rides 
out upon it, and is sometimes even seen with Albert and 
the children walking in it. Whenever so gTcat a wonder 
takes place, it makes all the Londoners stare and look pro- 
foundly wise ! — to think that the head of a government 
should not be so dreaded and hated, as to be shot if he or 
she dares appear amongst the people ! The truth is, Vic- 
toria is a pretty likely, smart woman. She is well edu- 
cated, and accomplished in court manners. In her char- 
acter she is irreproachable, and sets the best examples, 
morally, to her subjects. This is much in her praise, and 
is worth a great deal to England, where the highest am- 
bition is to follow the fashions of the Sovereign. I am 
told she is charitable and kind-hearted, and is a great pa- 
tron of humane institutions. It is said, indeed, that she 



BUCKINGHAM PALACE. 15T 

is high-tempered, and can box the ears of her servants if 
they do not move aright ; but such gossip is too low to be 
spoken of with safety. Doubtless she married for real 
love, and not, as most kings and queens do, for reasons of 
State, and she has got a likely, good fellow for a husband. 
Prince Albert is a favorite in London, and everywhere. 
He is intelligent and virtuous. He is something of a 
genius, and devotes much of his time to scientific investi- 
gations. We should not wonder if he became an author 
yet. In the vicinity of the Crystal Palace is a model of 
cottage terraces, made of hollow bricks, the rooms of 
which are large enough to enter, that he has constructed 
for exhibition. The design is to furnish a system of cheap 
£re-proof buildings for poor and common people. Indeed, 
he is the real father of this great World's Exhibition, and 
of the Crystal Palace. Not being allowed by the English 
Constitution to have any part in politics, he seems desir- 
ous to use what power and influence his position gives him 
for the good of the nation. It may be doubted whether 
England ever had better characters on and by the side of 
the throne, than at the present time. We may laugh at 
the idea of a woman being at the head of a great govern- 
ment ; but some of England's best days have been under 
petticoat government, and as all which a king or queen 
can now do is chiefly to give character to the government, 
(not to exercise power arbitrarily,) I do not know but the 
purity of female character giving tone to society, is as 
safe for England as the sad examples of that most talented 
but licentious George IV. We know some families gov- 
erned very well by women — better even than by men ; 
nations are but larger families. A virtuous female being 
14 



158 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

on the throne has awakened a chivalrous spirit amongsfe 
the English people, and I verily believe that the throne is 
now better supported by the affections of her subjects, 
than it would be if a man were upon it. Victoria's reign 
has been a pacific one, at home and abroad ; we hear of 
few riots, and little resistance to government authority 
since she was crowned. I find the people love her, and 
the ladies, particularly, are proud that one of their own 
sex is upon the throne. " Women rule the world, " now 
— at least they rule in England. 

I may say what I please against monarchy, and in favor 
of republican institutions, and no one is offended ; on the 
contrary, many will join with me and say they think the 
world is getting too old to be taxed with thrones, and hope 
the time will come when they will be as free as we are ; 
but if I say anything against their Queen, it gives offence. 
Indeed, seriously, I see no one disposed to say anything 
against Victoria. She is not to blame for being on the 
throne — she was born to the misfortune, and wishes to 
rule her people in the fear of God. She will impress her 
own character upon her reign, which will stand out in his- 
tory more honorable to her than w^as the fame of good 
Queen Bess, or any other English lady monarch. 

In the rear of Buckingham Palace is the Queen's Gar- 
den. It embraces forty acres, and has a fresh pond and 
fish in it. I could not enter it, but over the fence could 
see the trees and fruits — nay, I gathered one or two 
souvenirs therefrom to carry home. The fence is a 
high brick wall, the entire length of the top of which ia 
protected by iron forks inserted in a stone cap, pointing 
every way. Beneath the fence outside, is a row of holly 
trees or bushes, full of thorns, neatly puned as a hedge, 



BUCKINGHAM PALACE. 159 

and still outside of this is a painted rail fence to protect 
that. 

The Queen is not in the Palace at present, but is at the 
Rojal Watering Place — Osborne Palace — on the Isle of 
Wight. We passed it in coming to London. She will return 
next week to prorogue Parhament in State, when I shall 
endeavor to see her and witness the pageant. She will do 
this to gratify the strangers who are now in the citj. As 
she and Prince Albert, or rather as the Prince and Her 
Majesty have got up the Fair that has attracted people 
here, they feel bound to gratify the public curiosity as far 
as possible. So they go into the Crystal Palace every day 
in the morning, when at home, and are coming up from the 
Isle of Wight to show themselves in a grand procession 
from Buckingham Palace to the Parliament. 



LETTER XIV. 

FIRST SABBATH IN LONDON FORENOON. 

Find the Text — Invitation to a Professional Visit — London Female 
Penitentiai-y — Victoria's efforts to save the Fallen of her Sex — Re- 
ception at the Asylum — The Congregation — Their Uniform Dresses — 
The Services — Moral Reflections — The Graduates — Charities of 
London. 

London, August 4, 1851. 

If the reader would know the Preface to this Letter, let 
him, or her, before going any farther, take the New Tes- 
tament, turn to the Gospel by St. John, Chapter viii, and 
read from the 3d to the 11th verses inclusive. No one 
ought to go where our little party went upon our first 
Sabbath in London, or read this description of it, till he 
or she has read that text, as the appropriate " Morning 
Lesson for the Day." 

* * * * * ** m * 

Yesterday was the holy Sabbath of the Lord. Br. 
Preston and ourself were at our lodgings in the respectable 
house of Mr. and Mrs. Melladew, on Swinton Street. It 
is a wide, clean, sweet street, with ranges of tall private 
residences on both sides of the avenue, and directly 
opposite our parlor window, which is in the second story, 
is the boarding-house of Br. C. Spear and daughter. 
Breakfast being disposed of — it is never served even in 



FIRST SABBATH IN LONDON — FORENOON. 161 

the longest mid-summer daj^s before nine o'clock — Br. 
Spear comes across the street in his professional morning 
toga given him in Boston, and rings the bell at our front 
door. The servant girl obeys the summons, and, ushering 
Br. Spear up stairs to our parlour, so graciously cour- 
tesies us for a shilling as the reward of her service, that 
we cannot refuse to comply with the universal London cus- 
tom of liberality to servants. 

Brother Spear has called to say, that, being in London 
as a Prisoner's Fi'iend, he has been invited to repair this 
forenoon to the London Female Penitentiary — not far 
from our lodgings — for the purpose of conducting the 
religious services there ; and he desires us to attend with 
and assist him in the novel duties of the place. Of course 
we both wish to see the miseries of the Metropolis, and 
the Christian charities that minister to their removal or 
mitigation ; and so we prepare to accompany him and his 
daughter to the Penitentiary. In our sense of the word 
it is not a " penitentiary" — that is, it is not 2i prison; it 
is rather an Asylum where the Mary Magdalenes of the 
city are gathered for the purposes of reformation. 

Queen Victoria is The Patron of the Institution. By 
her influence there are several such Refuges for the fallen 
of her own sex in various parts of London, and she has 
female committees constantly employed all over the city 
to search out all hopeful cases of cure and induce them, if 
possible, to commit themselves to the healthful discipline 
of these humane asylums, where they will be kindly cared 
for and put in the way of reformation, and of restoration 
to virtuous and respectable society. It it well to have a 
female Sovereign, occasionally, in England, especially if 
she is disposed, as Victoria is, to exert the power of her 
14* 



162 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

throne in behalf of the moral virtue of that sex on which, 
after all, more than upon any other human causes, depends 
the moral health of the community and the hopes of pos- 
terity. The Queen seems resolved to do all the good she 
can in her day and generation, and thus make her reign 
felt more in its beneficence than in its power. 

The London Female Penitentiary, or Magdalene Asy- 
lum, is a large brick edifice, as beautiful in form and style 
as the Maine State House, situated on a clean, quiet 
street in the upper part of the city, quite away from the 
marts of business and the haunts of vice. The edifice is 
three stories in height, well warmed, watered and venti- 
lated, and occupies a position in a beautiful square of 
some three or four acres, with ornamented yards of 
shrubbery and flower-beds in front, and fine gardens, 
gravel-walks, and play grounds in the rear. The square 
is entirely enclosed by a high, tight brick fence, admis- 
sion through which is had through a gate on the line of 
the street. Here is a bell, which we rung. A servant 
from within unlocked the gate and we entered the front 
yard, examining the flowers and fruits as we passed up 
the wide pathway to the Asylum building. The head 
matron, Mrs. Cooper, a good hearty old English lady, 
received us in the parlor. On one side of the room was a 
white marble human figure — designed to represent the 
Mary Magdalene out of whom the seven evil spirits had 
been cast by our Saviour. Other appropriate Scripture 
designs in statuary and paintings decorated the parlor. 
Shortly a servant entered with decanters of brandy and 
wine, which were set upon the table, and we were invited 
by the matron to refresh ourselves. This, indeed, is the 
English fashion of hospitality, as it was ours twenty years 



FIRST SABBATH IN LONDON — FORENOON. 163 

ago ; but it struck us Americans disagreeably ; and the 
good lady seemed surprised when each and all of our 
Yankee party declined her proffered hospitality. We 
entered into conversation with the matron and some other 
ladies who had charge of the w^ards. There are eight of 
them ; but there is no man belonging to the establishment. 
It is entirely under the care of the Queen's Committee. 
We gathered from these lady officers a history of the In- 
stitution, with its operations and designs, which we will 
speak of by and by. 

At the ringing of a bell, we were conducted up stairs 
to a wing of the building in which was the Chapel, or 
room for public religious services. It was cruciform, 
having a pulpit at the head, and arranged with seats, but 
in the simplest and plainest style. The floors were not 
painted, but kept scoured, and sprinkled with the whitest 
sand. The seats were clean, unpainted benches, with rests 
in front on which books could be laid. It is designed to 
give employment to the inmates ; and we suppose the 
Chapel, and probably the other rooms, are thus left so as 
to make work for the females whose duty it is to keep 
every thing perfectly neat and clean. The Chapel was 
like a Quaker-meeting house. 

Brother Spear took the desk, and Brother Preston and 
myself sat one on each side. Before us was our congre- 
gation — and such a congregation as we never saw before ! 
— a congregation of prostitutes, amounting in number to 
nearly one hundred. Their ages varied, apparently, from 
fifteen to thirty-five years old, and all had such a haggard 
look as characters Hke them can alone betray. They were 
dressed in uniform. Each was clad with a checked 
calico dress and white apron, covered by a chocolate 



164 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

colored merino cloak, and on the head was a Quaker cap 
with plaited lace in front. Bibles and hymn-books were in 
their hands, or on the board before them, and they all ap- 
peared mute and orderly ; but their countenances indicat- 
ed a hopeless look, as if all self-respect or ambition was 
lost. In her virtue, nothing is more beautiful than a fe- 
male ; in her degradation, nothing is so far from beauty — 
nothing is so ugly to look upon. The services soon com- 
menced. The singing was conducted by the females them- 
selves ; all that sang, singing in unison. When the Scrip- 
tures were read, they all looked over the lesson. In 
prayer, which was extempore, they bent their heads for- 
ward upon the table. Br. Spear occupied an hour in his 
discourse ; he preached well ; but though his congregation 
were quiet and orderly, I could hardly see one that seemed 
to pay attention, or to care for what he was saying. In no 
case did I witness any emotion, except amongst a few 
when he alluded to the days of their childhood innocency, 
and spoke of the counsels and cares of their mothers — 
then, indeed, I noticed the tear gather in a few eyes. 
But I fear the good seed of the kingdom fell on hopeless 
ground. 

As I sat and surveyed this strange congregation, I could 
but feel emotions of grief and pity and wonder, such as I 
certainly never experienced before, to see human nature 
— and that in the delicate sex — so fallen ; — to witness 
the struggles of light with darkness, only to sink back into 
deeper darkness still ; — to look out upon human faces, 
pale, emaciate, wan, broken by disease, bearing expressions 
of faintest hope and darkest infamy and pollution — oh ! — 
what a sight ! how cheerless — how loathsome ! Can 
God's mercy reach them ? Yes, it can ; for that is Om- 
nipotent. Our only hope is in that. 



FIRST SABBATH IN LONDON — FORENOON. 165 

The services being over, the musical portion of the 
Magdalenes sang once more, the benediction was pro- 
nounced, and the congregation retired, in the exact order 
of a military company, to their wards, each section being 
under the devoted and faithful woman in charge of the 
several divisions. 

This Institution is supported partly by the munificence 
of the Queen and other voluntary contributions, and partly 
by the work of the females themselves. None are received 
whose cases are not supposed to be hopeful. They are 
kept in the Asylum two years, are taught to work and to 
read, and every pains is taken to encourage them into the 
exercise of self-respect and a virtuous ambition. At the 
end of the two years, places are provided for them as 
domestics in good families ; they are fitted out with good 
clothes, some money, and the present of a beautiful Bible ; 
and if the matron, at the end of a year, hears that the 
graduate has behaved well and maintained her virtue, she 
sends her a guinea ($5,) as an encouragement for her 
well-doing. She informed us, however, with grief, that 
very many of them return to their old habits of sin. None 
once discharged can be received a second time. 

The matron, Mrs. Cooper, informed us that there were 
then about one hundred in the Penitentiary, and that 
within the year the sales of their work had amounted to 
£1,049, — or about $5,200. This sum, with receipts 
from the crown, the nobility, &c., amounted to .£2,453, 
or about $12,000. This sustains the establishment. 

It is much to the credit of England that the rich nobility 
do so much as they do in charity. It is a positive truth — 
however the world has not generally known it, — that there 
is not a single want in London that is not provided for, 



166 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

either by the laws, or by the institutions of charity. Why, 
soon after leaving this Penitentiary, we passed a very long 
and high building, that I should think would accommodate 
a thousand patients, on the walls of which were inscribed 

— I do not recollect the words, but am sure of the idea, 

— it was, " If any stranger in the city falls sick, or is 
in distress, and has no friend to call upon who is competent 
to reheve him, let him pull at this bell, (a bell pointed 
at upon the entrance gate,) and he will be taken care of 
without cost to himself." There are many such institu- 
tions all over London. The charity of London is all or- 
ganized, and in this way is the safest administered. 
Mendicity is unnecessary and is forbidden. A policeman's 
hand would be upon a beggar in a moment, to lead him or 
her off to some place where he or she could be provided 
for or set at work. I have hardly seen a beggar in Lon- 
don. I have not seen a drunken man in London. Is not 
this strange ? It is even so. Drunkenness there maybe, 
but it has to keep out of sight of decent people. You are 
in no danger of being insulted or injured by a drunkard in 
the streets, by night or day. I wish as much could be 
said of all our republican cities and villages. 

As yet I have given the reader but our forenoon's ex- 
perience, on the first Sabbath in London. The afternoon 
was spent in Field Lane Ragged School. I must give an 
account of that in the next letter. 



LETTER XV. 

FIRST SABBATH IN LONDON — EVENING. 

Field Lane Ragged School — Lord Ashley — Gehenna of London — A Rich 
Church in a poor locality — Den of Thieves, the Ruins — Arches — School 
Room — Mottoes — Visitors from the United States — Conversation with 
the Pupils — A hideous Female — Disposition for the night — Miss Portal, 
the Benefactress — Conclusion. 

London, August 4, 1851. 

In the last Letter some account was given of the man- 
ner and place in which the forenoon of our first Sabbath 
in London was passed. In this, the scenes of the evening 
will be related. Generally, in London the churches are 
not open for worship in the afternoon, but the second ser- 
vice for the day takes place in the evening. 

Towards the close of the day, near nightfall, I start- 
ed from my lodgings in Swinton street, in company 
with Br. Spear and daughter and Br. Preston, to go in 
the direction of Smithfield, in pursuit of the first Ragged 
School ever established in the city. It is called " The 
Field Lane Ragged School and Night Refuge for the 
Destitute, ^^ and was projected by the philanthropic Lord 
Ashley, M. P., nine years ago, who, passing that part of 
the city and witnessing the great number of haggard 
wretches that had no other homes than the subterranean 
burrows or arches that were left after the ruins of Jack 
Sheppard's Den of Thieves, was moved to rent a building 
in the neighborhood, and get as many of the miserable 



168 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

children and others as possible into a school where they 
might receive some education and moral discipline. The 
world has heard the story of his Christian philanthropy. 
There are now 16,000 thieves and beggars collected into 
these Ragged Schools in London. I saw Lord Ashley 
in the House of Peers one day when Parhament was in 
session ; he sat by the side of the Buke of Wellington 
who was the conqueror of Napoleon ; but really I pre- 
ferred the looks of Lord Ashley, and felt to do a readier 
homage to his character. He has led no armies to victory 
— his hands are stained with no brother's blood ; but he 
lives to fulfil the spirit of that great Captain whose mission 
it was to bring '^ Peace on earth to men of good will." 

As I have said, it was near night-fall when we set out 
for Field Lane Ragged School. We proceeded in an east- 
erly direction some distance, towards a valley that lies 
between Holborn Hill and an eminence on the other side, 
on which are Smithfield, Newgate Prison and the Old 
Bailey. This valley is the lowest part of the city ; and 
the great sewer under it conducts all the waste water and 
filth of London that are brought into it by lateral under- 
drains, into the Thames. This is the valley of Hinnom — 
the Gehenna of London, as I shall show, by and by. On 
our way thither, as we approached this. miserable locaUty, 
signs of poverty, vice and crime became rife, and we 
began to feel unpleasantly. It was the close of the Sab- 
bath, working people were at leisure, the weather was 
clear and warm, and the inmates of the filthy dens that 
lined the streets, were poured out upon the sidewalks and 
pavements, embracing reckless men, abandoned women, 
and dirty, naked children of all sizes and both sexes. 
In the midst of this population, a splendid church arose ; 



FIRST SABBATH IN LONDON — EVENING. 169 

and as it was in time of service, we halted and entered. 
It was an Episcopal establishment. Three pulpits arose, 
one above the other, from the broad aisle to the great 
window, in the lowest of which sat the Clerk to say 
" Amen ;" in the next was the Priest in his robes, to read 
the prayers, and in the highest sat the Bishop with his 
mitre, perhaps to preach — perhaps to show his dignity. 
Gilded canopies covered the pews of the gentry, and all 
around gave evidence of pride and extravagance. — 
Publicans and sinners were not there. These were in all 
the streets around the rich edifice, hardly knowing 
whether there is a God or not. The religion of " the 
Church" could not reach them ; it would be too conde- 
scending, humiliating and disreputable to go into the high- 
ways and hedges and compel such people to come in and 
desecrate the rich carpetings, the splendid drapery, the 
stained glass and the gilded stalls of this Christian temple. 
"We stopped long enough to satisfy ourselves that if the 
Son of Man were now on earth, and should enter that place, 
he would " take a scourge of small cords and drive them 
all out of the temple." I do believe that pride and fash- 
ion in the church, have done more to make Infidels 
than all which was ever done by sceptics out of it. 

We were now within a short distance of the Ruins — 
the Gehenna of London. We passed on through a most 
miserable and dangerous mass of beings that filled the 
narrow streets, till we came out to the open space, which 
is made by the demolition of all the buildings on what 
were once two parallel streets that run the whole length 
of the Valley. This constitutes an area of several acres. 
Here is where Jack Sheppard had his head quarters — it 
15 



170 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

was the real Den of Thieves. All the buildings in this 
valley came, in some way, under his control, and were 
occupied by an army of thieves and robbers subject to his 
orders. The sidewalks had trap doors set in them ; and 
whenever a man, supposed to have money, passed, sud- 
denly the trap sprung and he fell into a cellar where he 
was instantly seized and strangled to death, and his body 
with a stone attached, was conveyed through the great 
sewer into the Thames beyond discovery. So many were 
robbed and murdered in this way, and so difficult was 
it by law to break up the Den, that finally a righteous 
mob assembled in great numbers and tore every house 
down : — and there the " the Ruins" are now, with per- 
haps a hundred arches beneath them just high enough 
for a person to crawl into on all fours, "^hese now are 
the only homes of hundred of wretches of both sexes and 
of all ages. They sleep in these filthy holes by night, 
and saunter forth from them by day to steal and- commit 
other villanies. 

The sun was just setting as we entered upon this open 
space — these Ruins. The blocks of brick buildings in 
the distance that surround this terrible sink of wretched- 
ness, appear to be abandoned by their owners, the win- 
dows are broken in and they are evidently occupied by 
the infamous of both sexes. Near the centre of one of 
the dilapidated blocks is a portion that appears to be glazed 
and kept in repair. This furnishes the Rooms for the 
Field Lane Ragged School. On its exterior walls, some 
pot-house politician, opposed to the Free Trade doctrines 
of the present Government, has written, in chalk, " Free 
Trade and Starvation !" In crossing the valley from 
the west to the eastern side where this School is, we pass- 



FIRST SABBATH IN LONDON — EVENING. 171 

ed amongst the ruins, and looked into the arches which 
are the only homes of great numbers of men, women and 
children in rags, herding promiscuously together. The 
Rasrojed School is collected from these arches and the sur- 
rounding buildings, and consists of parents and old people, 
as well as haggard boys and girls. It was this very place 
that excited the philanthropy of Lord Ashley, and here 
the first Ragged School in London was established. There 
are now nearly one hundred such schools in the city, giving 
instruction, on the average, to sixteen thousand ignorant, 
debased and wretched beings. 

We were cautioned to keep our clothes tight about us 
and our pockets guarded whilst amongst the scholars of 
the school ; for most of them were professed pick-pockets 
and thieves. A sentinel guarded the outside door, through 
which we entered on a ground ^ooy — literally, on the 
ground floor. On the left, a door opened to the dormitory 
and Night Refuge on the basement, and in front was a 
flight of rough stairs, up which we ascended to the great 
hall — like a barn — in which the Ragged School was in 
full operation. There were about five hundred pupils, and 
fifty teachers present. And such a sight my eyes never 
beheld before — never desire to see again. The room 
was filled with little rough stalls, like square pews, on 
three sides of which were seats occupied by a class, with 
the teacher in the midst. Samaritan women had charge 
of the females, and devoted men, of the males. Most of 
the pupils were children from six to fifteen years of age ; 
but some, I noticed, were gray headed men and women 
— objects almost too frightful to approach as if they were 
human beings. The rafters of the roof appeared over 
head, and the room was about seventy-five feet long by 



172 GLIxMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

sixty wide, as we paced it. The stairs came up at one end 
and at the other were closets, a hbrary case, and a desk) 
for a chaplain. Over these was a gallery which was 
filled with women — probably all harlots. The building 
was lighted with gas, and was comfortable ; but the pupils 
were literally in rags, blotches and half covered with ver- 
min. The discipline of the School was strict ; but we 
noticed that those not immediately engaged by the 
te acher in his work of instruction, were watching the 
pockets of visitors, grinning ghastly smiles at each other, 
or doubling fists in other's faces. Such a scene of igno- 
rance, degradation and wretchedness I never had begun 
to dream of before. 

On the walls were hung plain pictures, and handbills 
with Scripture texts in large letters staring the scholars 
in the face at every point. I took my pencil and copied 
oif the following, which I thought appropriate to the place : 
" He shall gather the lambs in his arms ;" " I came not 
to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance ;" "Be 
sure your sin will find you out ;" " Lying Hps are an 
abomination to the Lord ;" " Swear not at all ;" " If 
sinners entice thee, consent thou not ;" " Speak not evil 
one of another ; ^' " Search the Scriptures ; " " Re- 
member the Sabbath day to keep it holy;" "Every word 
of God is pure ; " " Thou, God, seest me ; " " The eyes 
of the Lord are in every place;" "Thou shalt not 
steal ; " " Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 
thy God in vain ; '' " The wages of sin is death ; " "I 
love them that love me, and they that seek me early shall 
find me;" "Love one another." If the pupils never 
get any more of the Bible than they find on the walls, 



I 



FIRST SABBATH IN LONDON — SVENING. 173 

thej will find enough to redeem their characters and to 
make them wise unto salvation. 

Besides our party who went in together, we found, as 
visitors there before us, a Mr. King of Providence, R. I. ; 
also a doctor from Ohio, formerly of New Hampshire, 
and two Boston gentlemen. Besides these there were 
several lady visitors. The name of the Superintendent is 
Mounstephen ; that of his principal Assistant, to whom 
we were indebted for attentions in the School, and who 
called on us at our lodgings afterwards with pamphlets 
relating to the establishment, was Rev. Mr. Ray — a 
dissenting clergyman of an excellent spirit. 

I interrogated children as to their conditions, hopes, 
prospects, &c. One, I recollect, I asked, " Where do 
you live ? " " In the arches." " Do you get enough to 
eat?" "Not more than once a day." "How do you 
get that?" "I earn it." "How do you earn it?" 
He hesitated — I renewed the question ; — he finally 
answered by saying, " By finding tilings that are not losV^ 
— meaning, by stealing. I talked with the old men, but 
they seemed to have few ideas above brutes ; all they 
came to school for was to get lodgings in board pens for 
the night, and the six ounces of bread allowed them in 
the morning. This, indeed, I fear is the principal motive 
that brings any to the school. I noticed one woman, the 
most hideous looking creature I ever saw, looking over the 
gallery upon the school below — herself a scholar in the 
women's class above. On being shocked at her appear- 
ance, and asking Mr. Ray who and what she was, he 
took his pen and wrote down the following in answer to 
my inquiry — "Sarah Thompson, a prostitute; aged 
twenty-six years ; mother been dead fourteen years ; 
15* 



174 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

father ten months ; has been twentj-four times in the 
County Prison ; ten times in City Bridewell ; twice in 
Brixton Prison ; once in Horsemonger's Lane Jail ; once 
in Maidstone Prison ; has been a prostitute about six 
years ; was run over by an omnibus, squeezed out one 
eye ; broke the bridge of her nose ; broke both shoulder 
blades, and otherwise internally injured her — she is yet 
a prostitute." 

The school exercises closed at 9 o'clock, by an address 
from a City Missionary, a prayer by the Superintendent, 
and singing by the teachers and others. The Superinten- 
dent then told all that had homes, to go home. Some 
left, but many remained. These were marched in compa- 
nies down stairs to the dormitory in the basement, of which 
we spoke at the entrance. We went down with them to 
see them disposed of for the night. The floor of the room 
was laid in double tiers of narrow rough board stalls, like 
uncovered coffins, the feet of both tiers coming together, 
and the heads sHghtly raised. There was no bed or straw 
in these boxes ; the lodgers had to lie on the bare plank 
bottom, with a coarse blanket rolled up at the foot, to be 
drawn over the body in repose. As each entered, he pre- 
sented his ticket awarded him in the school, and drew his 
berth accordingly. Each took his station there, and 
awaited orders. There was no undressinor — the ra2;s on 
the body were as good to lie in, as to wear about town. 

An adjacent room is for the female scholars. Another 
room is for daily ablutions, a warm and cold water bath, 
and another is for washing clothes ; but when this is done, 
the wearer has to stand in another room naked, till his or 
her clothes are washed, drjecl and ironed, ready for use. 



FIRST SABBATH IN LONDON — EVENING. 175 

It is regarded as a great privilege to the tenants of 
Field Lane, to have such comfortable lodgings in the 
Night Refuge, so much better than they can obtain in the 
streets and arches. To each, in the morning, is given six 
ounces of bread. 

The principal benefactress of this school is a Miss 
Portal, who gives $1250 per year to defray the expense 
of the Night Refuge, and to provide the bread in the 
morning. Several of the pupils told me that that bread 
was often all they get to eat during the day. 

Mr. Ray remains in the male dormitory all night to 
preserve order. It seemed to me as dangerous, as it was 
an undesirable duty. But he trusts in God for protection 
in good doing. After all the homeless ones were ordered 
to take their positions standing in their hard berths, he 
offered up the Lord's Prayer in which the whole school were 
required to join, and then led in singing Old Hundred. 

" Praise God from whom all blessings flow," &c. 

in which I joined with full heart and soul. I felt to praise 
God that there were such faithful and devoted men and 
women in the world, who would go into these terrible sinks 
of iniquity, and suffer as they must for the sake of elevat- 
ing if possible a fallen humanity. 

He then ordered the lodgers to lie down, draw the 
blankets over them, be still, and go to sleep. All the 
lights but one were extinguished, and at nearly ten o'clock 
we bade him and Field Lane Ragged School and Night 
Refuge adieu, he admonishing us that it would not be safe 
at that hour of the night to return the way we came by 
" tU Church," but that we had better take High Holborn 
for Gray's Inn Road, where we should be in the presence 
of a more respectable population, and under the protection 



176 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

of a readier police. We did so. The walk was about 
two miles home through some of the gayest parts of the 
city. The streets were all lighted with gas, full — liter- 
ally full -^ of people, and the Gin Palaces at every corner 
in full blast. This was Sabbath evening ; we reached our 
quarters on Swinton street before 11 o'clock ; and thus 
ended our First Sabbath in London. 



LETTER XVI 



TOWER OF LO>^DON A'SB BRITISH MUSEUM. 



Roads and Streets of London — Visit to the Tower — Its Antiquity — Horse 
Armory — Anne Boleyn — Sir Walter Raleigh — Crown Jewels — Compa- 
nies under Warders — Visit to the British Museum — Elgin Marbles — Ru- 
ins of Nineveh — Egyptian Mummies — Rosetta Stone — Grecian and Ro- 
man Antiquities — Zoological Collections — Minerals — Fossils — Library — 
Admission Free. 



London, August 5, 1851. 

Yesterday I went through the Tower of London, and 
to-day I have visited Somerset Palace, the British Muse- 
um, Westminster Abbey, and the House of Lords, in Par- 
liament assembled. Of course I cannot, in a single com- 
munication, — if I had time to examine for book facts — 
give, in the present letter, a historical or architectural 
account of those edifices, or a description of their contents. 
A month might be spent with book in hand, to advantage, 
in the Tower, — many, many months might be devoted 
to thrilling investigations amongst the ruins of antiquity 
brought to the British Museum from Nineveh and Thebes 
and ancient Greece and Rome. And if one would know 
all that is meant by the statuary and paintings and 
architectural designs of the Abbey, he would have his 
hands full for a long time. Parliament may be more easily 
disposed of. Indeed, whoever thinks of coming to see 



178 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

London in a week, by means of guide books, might as well 
think of walking across the continent in a day. London 
is a great place ; its streets lead you out nowhere ; go in 
them as far as you will, and as long as you may, and yet 
you are travelling amongst continuous blocks of buildings, 
amidst the roar of carriages and the crowd of people, and 
cannot see land. Its Roads — for it has roads in distinc- 
tion from Streets — do lead out of town somewhere ; but 
where I know not. There are great avenues which radi- 
ate from the territory on which the metropolis is built, and 
run through the city to other parts of the kingdom. My 
own residence is on Swinton Street, which is across from 
Gray's Inn Road to the New City Road. Where these 
roads begin, or where they end, I do not know. All I 
know is, that omnibuses are roaring always in opposite 
directions, close on the heels of each other, filled inside 
and outside with passengers, and that the spaces in the 
roads and streets, not filled by omnibuses, are occupied 
by hacks, cabs, coaches, chaises, carts, double wheeled 
donkey barrows, and people trying to cross the road at 
some point where there is a chance to dodge the heads of 
the horses or the wheels of the vehicles. And then there 
are so many objects of curiosity and beauty to be seen in 
all directions, that a sight-seer in London should prepare 
himself for long walks and a large expenditure of time. 
Six months would be little time enough in which to form a 
tolerable acquaintance even with the exterior of London 
— its roads and streets, its parks and squares, its streams 
and fountains, its public institutions, and its exhibitions of 
private wealth and taste. 

The Tower of London is a large mass of stone edifices, 
enclosed in a high granite fence, the central one rising 



TOWER OF LONDON AND BRITISH MUSEUM. 179 

higher than the rest. According to Shakspeare, it was 
originally built by Juhus Caesar. 

Prince Ed, I do not like the Tower, of any place. 

Did Julius Ceesar build that place, my lord ? 
Buck. He did; my gracious lojd, begin that place, 

Which since, succeeding ages have re-edified. 
Prince Ed. Is it upon record, or else reported 

Successively from age to age, he built it ? 
Buck. Upon record, my gracious lord. 

Richard III., Act III., Scene I. 

It was completed, however, by William the Conqueror, 
by whom it was made the castle of the Norman kings. It 
covers upwards of twelve acres of ground. The principal 
buildings are the Church, the White Tower, the Gover- 
nor's House, the Bloody Tower, the Bell Tower, the Jewel 
office, the Horse Armory, Queen Elizabeth's Armory, and 
the Waterloo Barracks. Since Elizabeth's time, the es- 
tablishment has been occupied as a State Prison — that is, 
— a prison for sovereigns and State oifenders. We arrived 
at the gate soon after breakfast, but the crowd was so 
great before we could procure a ticket thereat, that it was 
half an hour ere we could gain admission to the yard. 
Then we had to go to a large room, and wait till the num- 
ber of our tickets, 28681 and 28682 were called. This 
took another half-hour. Twenty numbers are called, when 
the holders are collected together and put under the lead 
of a Warder, dressed in the antique suit of the time of 
Henry VIII. Thus each Warder, successively takes off 
twenty persons at a time, and conducts them through the 
Tower. Other like companies are following after, all the 
time. Hurried through, it takes an hour to visit the sev- 
eral apartments, and the fee is two English shillings each. 

Our first introduction was through the Horse Armory, 
a long hall, lined with a row of kings and knights, mounted 



180 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

on noble chargers. The identical armor worn by some of 
the sovereigns, &c., are upon the life-like images — par- 
ticularly that of Henry YIII., of John the Gaunt, and a 
Saracen knight's suit. 

These equestrian figures are arranged chronologically, 
from 1272 to 1688 — from the reign of Edward I. to 
James II. You pass on a line of the horses' heads, 
and at your right, on the wall opposite, each rider has his 
Coat of Arms, displayed in swords, bayonets, cutlasses, 
muskets, ramrods, &c., so interwoven as to constitute the 
armorial bearings of the kings and crusaders. 

Ascending a flight of stairs, we visited the various pris- 
on rooms — that in which the young prince Edward V. 
and his little brother were murdered by their uncle Richard 
III ; the gloomy dungeon in which Sir Walter Raleigh 
was so long confined, and where he wrote his History ; 
the block on which the beautiful queen of that wicked 
monarch, the father of the Church of England, Henry 
YIII. — Anne Boleyn — -.was executed, and the long, broad, 
thin axe which cut ofif her head. As I ran my fingers 
across its bloody edge, 1 could but shudder at the sacrifice 
of innocence and virtue to gratify the lust of a wicked 
monarch. We saw, also, various other instruments of 
death and torture, employed to extort confessions or to in- 
flict terrible punishments ; particularly in Queen Eliza- 
beth's Armory, which contains the spoils of the great 
Spanish Armada — such as " the iron collar of torment," 
and the thumbscrew, and the cravat, or " scavenger's 
daughter." Here, too, are the curiously combined and 
elaborately adorned arms of the time of Henry YIII.,»and 
other antiquities. 



TOWER OF LONDON AND BRITISH MUSEUM. 181 

In one room we were shown the crown jewels, which are 
always used at the coronation of a new sovereign and 
other State ceremonies. They are enclosed in a glass 
globe, on a large table, some ten feet in diameter. There 
are the Royal Crown, the Sceptre, the Robe, the Keys, 
the Baptismal Font, &c.; all in massive gold. The value 
is estimated at more than three million pounds sterling. 
The queen's crown alone is valued at one million pounds. 
A new crown was made for her. This is a purple cap, 
enclosed by hoops of silver, and studded with a great 
quantity of diamonds. The upper part is composed of an 
orb, adorned with precious stones, and surmounted by a 
cross. Amongst these diamonds is a magnificent ruby, 
worn by the Black Prince, and a sapphire of matchless 
beauty. The value of this crown, which is put on Victo- 
ria's head, is calculated at £111,900, or about $559,500. 

The interest and pleasure of our visit to the Tower ex- 
ceeded our expectations. It is certainly one of the most 
interesting places to visit in England. 

The British Museum has been established about one hun- 
dred years, and contains collections more vast and interest- 
ing than any other in the world. It was founded by Sir 
Hans Sloane. I felt more particularly interested in the an- 
tiquities here preserved. Here are the Elgin marbles, a col- 
lection of exquisite specimens of Grecian art, which have 
been the wonder and admiration of sculptors, and of all who 
have taste to appreciate their beauty, since the Earl of Elgin 
brought them to England in 1801. These marbles 
adorned the Parthenon at Athens, There is an exact 
model of this building in the Marble Hall, which assists 
the visitor to understand the positions once occupied by 
16 



182 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

statues and bas-reliefs, now arranged in their mutilated 
state around the walls and on raised stages in the Elgin 
Saloon. There is also the Phigalian Saloon, in which we 
behold the marble statuary found in the ruins of the tem- 
ple of Apollo Epicurus, near the ancient city of Phigalia. 
This temple was built in the time of Pericles. A series 
of very ancient and interesting marbles, resembling 
carved figures and designs embossed on grey stone globes, 
brought from the ruins of Nineveh, on the left bank of the 
Tigris, have recently been added to the Museum through 
the zeal and laborious researches of Dr. Layard. There 
is one great central saloon devoted to the remains of Greek 
and Roman art. Amongst these are forms of exquisite 
beauty, grace and truth. I saw sculptors and painters at 
their tables before many of these specimens, copying them 
for use. 

But what I was more interested in than any thing else, 
were the rooms that contain the colossal sculptures of Egypt 
and the Egyptian mummies. There the swarthy heroes 
of the Nile look down upon us with a calm sense of 
superiority, and we can hardly forbear believing there 
were, as the Scriptures say, " giants in those days." 
Specimens of the insect world of Egypt are here which 
give us beetles too large for a man to stride upon their 
backs. 

Here, too, is the Rosetta stone, which first suggested to 
Dr. Thomas Young a mode of decyphering the mysterious 
inscriptions on Egyptian monuments. This stone bears 
the same inscription in three different characters, one in 
hieroglyphics, one written in a character called euchorialy 
and the third in Greek. Thus, by means of the Greek 



TOWER OF LONDON AND BRITISH MUSEUM. 183 

inscription, the hieroglyphics were for the first time ren- 
dered intelligible. 

In another room, called the Egyptian Room, is another 
collection of Egyptian antiquities. These consist of 
figures of various deities in silver, bronze, porcelain, wax, 
wood, &c., a great number of vases, lamps and miscellane- 
ous objects. But above all, in real interest, a large col- 
lection of human mummies, male and female, enclosed in 
the fibrous substances of the leaves which are wrapped 
around them. In some instances we could see the naked 
face, in others, the toes sticking out of their everlasting 
winding sheets. To look thus upon the bodies of kings 
and queens and heroes that made the world tremble^ 
thousands of years ago, was enough to fill the mind with 
solemnity and awe ! 

Here, too, are specimens of all the coins of the ancient 
world. 

The Zoological collections in the Museum occupy five 
rooms and are very extensive. Here are skulls of the 
large mammalia, the bodies of reptiles, a display of 
monkeys, apes, porcupines, &c., fish and moluscous 
animals. 

The collection of minerals is on the same scale with the 
vastness of the rest of the Museum. It fills four rooms 
and is arranged in sixty cases. These are rooms for 
students, not for mere spectators. 

Another department contains organic remains, beginning 
with fossil vegetables. Then come remains of large 
reptiles, with some of the gigantic species extinct. A 
complete skeleton of the large extinct elk of the Irish 
bogs, of the American Mastadon and other fossil wonders, 
occupy five or six rooms in this department ; and at one 



184 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

end of one of them is the fossil human skeleton, embedded 
in limestone, brought from Guadaloupe bj Admiral 
Cochran. 

The Libraries of the British Museum contains about 
500,000 volumes, and is visited by about 700,000 readers 
during the year. This library was begun by the donation 
by George IV., of the library of his father, George III. 
The building is on Russell street, and is immensely large. 
It is of marble. No fees of admission are required, or 
even allowed. It is a long work to go over the whole of 
it. I could spend but half a day in it. It is the largest 
Museum in the world. 

A sensation came over me as I stood amongst the verit- 
able ruins of Nineveh, Thebes, Greece and Rome — such 
as I never realized before. They were to my mind the 
demonstration of history, sacred and profane. Let de- 
riders of the Bible visit the British Museum. I felt as if 
I saw what Jonah saw — very possibly I did ; for he 
saw Nineveh before its ruin, and its ruins before me were 
the veritable ones of old. 

During the present season, when London is full of 
foreigners come • to the Great Exhibition, every pains is 
taken by the Government and People to gratify the curi- 
osity of strangers. Hence all such Institutions are thrown 
freely open, and attendants are appointed, without fee, to 
explain things as they go. This day when myself and son 
were in the Museum, I should judge there were thousands 
there. No one would think of visiting London and not 
going into the British Museum. 

I must defer the other matters alluded to in the com- 
mencement of this letter, for another communication. 



LETTER XYII. 

SOMERSET PALACE AND WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 

Somerset Palace, Residence of Old Kings — View of the Ruin from its 
Terrace — Westminster Abbey — Thorny Island — Vow of Edward the 
Confessor — Enlarged by Henry III. — Daily Ser\ace in the Abbey — 
Chanting the Service on Entering the Chapels and Cloisters — Henry 
VII. 's Chapel — Westminster Assembly of Divines — Shrine of Edward 
I. — Old Coronation Chair — Burying-grounds Outside the Abbey — 
Names of American Ancestors. 

London, Aug. 6, 1851. 
In mj last I spoke of having just visited Somerset Pal- 
ace, Westminster Abbey, and the Parliament House, where 
I witnessed the Lords in session. Somerset Palace is one 
of the grandest buildings in London. It is on the south 
bank of the Thames, near Waterloo Bridge, and was for- 
merly the Koyal Residence. It was originally built by the 
Protector Somerset, brother-in-law of Henry VIIL, and 
was enlarged by James I. and Charles I. By the last it 
was given to his queen, and it remained in the possession 
of the queens of England till 1775, when our Revolution 
broke out, at which time it was given up as a place for 
public offices by George III., who removed to Buckingham 
Palace, which is yet the Metropolitan Residence of the 
Sovereign. There are some of the most massive sculp- 
tures in stone, upon the walls, window caps, cornices and 
battlements of this edifice, that I ever saw, or could wish 
16* 



186 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

to see. It is of quadrangular shape, having, of course, 
an open court in the centre, under which, through grat- 
ings, we look down into hideous dungeons used in olden 
and more barbarous times than the present. The Royal 
Society, of which Sir Isaac Newton was President, the 
Society of Antiquaries, and the Astronomical and Geolog- 
ical Societies, have their rooms in this Palace. There 
are also many Government Offices in it for stamps, taxes, 
excise, registrar general of births, &c., all of which em- 
ploy about 900 clerks constantly. 

The east wing of the ruined part forms an extremity of 
King's College. The view from the terrace in front, over 
the river, is very fine. There we see all the bridges that 
span the Thames, the endless crowds which are ever 
moving upon them, and the navigation of all sorts that 
cover every rood of surface upon the river. It is aston- 
ishing to see the immense travel there is by steam-boats 
upon the Thames. They go, as omnibuses do, from one 
part of the city, upon the river, to another, and to Hamp- 
den Court above, and Gravesend below — and carry pas- 
sengers for four-pence each. They are large and beautiful 
boats — not gaudy like ours — and are filled with masses 
of people. Like innumerable flies skipping upon the wa 
ter, they make the very river black with their presence. It 
is astonishing to me how so many ships, vessels, steamers, 
boats, galliots, coal-barges, &c., &c,, ever pass each other 
without coming in contact. But I suppose the pilots un- 
derstand driving boats as well as omnibus drivers do their 
great vehicles through crowded streets. Of all the views 
in the great thoroughfares within the city, nothing is so 
strangely picturesque and grand, as the view of the Great 



SOMERSET PALACE AKD WESTJMINSTrR ABBEY. 187 

Artery of the Thames River, from Somerset Terrace, em- 
bracing the eight bridges, the piers, the shores and citj on 
the other side, and the world of moving commerce upon 
the peopled stream. 

But Westminster — what shall I say of that? So 
many thousands of letters from London have been written 
about this great temple, that nothing is left for me, which 
is not tame and common-place. Besides, I do not feel pre- 
pared now for a description. I visited it yesterday. It is 
near the Parliament House, which is on the bank of the 
river. The edifice is doubtless the most perfect specimen 
of Gothic architecture in England, or perhaps the world. 
The site it occupies was originally surrounded by the 
Thames and some of its httle tributaries. It was called 
" Thorny Island," being a Uttle island above, or west of 
the then city, covered with hawthorn bushes. A minster 
— as the church of a monastery, or place of worship, was 
then called, — was thus built in the West part of the town, 
and was of course West minster. It is so called yet, 
though it is no longer in the extreme west of London. 
The first little minster built on Thorny Island was in 610, 
by Segbert, King of Essex, — (his body lies in it now, and 
I felt to hold communion with the deep past as I stood 
over his shrine,) — a district now including Middlesex, two 
counties of England. This was the nucleus of the present 
edifice. Whilst thus small and poor, King Edward L, 
commonly called Edward the Confessor — a pious Catholic 
monarch — took a vow to perform a pilgrimage in one of 
the crusades to the Holy Land. Circumstances, however, 
prevented his fulfilment of this vow, and he applied to the 
Pope (Leo. IX.) for a dispensation, who granted it on 



188 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

condition, that he would devote a tenth part of his en- 
tire substance, " as well in gold, silver and cattle, as in 
all his other possessions," to enlarge the minster at the 
West, to make it such as should become the Prince of the 
Apostles. Some therefore now say this is the true St. 
Peter^s Church. Hence, another, and the true official 
name for it is St. Peter^s Collegiate Churchy rather than 
Westminster Ahhey. The devout King commenced this 
building in 1050, and it was dedicated on Innocent's Day, 
1065. Edward died in a week after. Two hundred 
years subsequently, his adorer and successor, Henry III., 
who had him canonized, or sainted, caused a splendid chapel 
to be built in the Abbey, and he and his brother Richard, 
King of the Romans, had his dead body exhumed, and 
bore it on their own shoulders to this sanctuary, where it 
now rests. It is covered by a grey marble structure, a 
fragment of which, having fallen near the base, I thought 
it no desecration to take up and preserve as a remem- 
brance of Edward the Confessor — one of the earliest and 
most venerable monarchs of England. 

This is the mausoleum of Kings. Edward's shrine is 
in the centre ; but surrounding it, within the pillars that 
support the walls, are the tombs of Henry III., Eleanor of 
Castile, Queen of Edward I., also the last named monarch 
himself, Queen Philippe, consort of Edward III., King 
Richard I. , and the gorgeous monument of Henry V. This 
prince Avas brought hither by a funeral procession of three 
miles in length from Paris, to Calais, by a long route 
through Normandy, illuminated by 1000 torch bearers in 
white. 

In this shrine are kept the coronation chairs, in which 
all the sovereigns of England, from Edward to Victoria, 



SOMERSET PALACE AND WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 189 

have been anointed. The seat of the first is the famous 
Sconce Stone, the palladium of Scotch Royalty. 

" KyngEdwarde with the lang shankes fra Scotland hit fette 

Buyde the shrine of Seynte Edwarde at "Westminstrehet hitte sette," 

Westminster Abbey, however, was not completed by 
Edward. For centuries it has been growing. Successive 
monarchs have added to the original structure, not, how- 
ever, for the sake of incorporating into it any of the new- 
styles of Europe, for everything has proceeded in the 
Gothic order — all tending upwards in points to heaven. 
A hundred and fifty years after Edward, Henry III. 
greatly enlarged the minster. Thus it underwent altera- 
tions and improvements for many generations. 

We entered the Abbey at the Poet's Corner, in the 
south-east corner of the transept. This Corner is an 
enormous hollow cross, remote from the common hght of 
day, — every thing in it flowing upwards like the spirits of 
the Poets, w^hose monuments surround the space, fill the 
niches in the walls, or stand forth from the galleries. 
Here are the memorials of Chaucer, the father of English 
poetry, and Ben Johnson, with the inscription "0, rare 
Ben Johnson " ! Shakspeare, Milton, Butler, (author of 
Hudibras,) Dryden, Pope, Thomson, Gray, Goldsmith, 
Southey, &c. Shakspeare's body is not here, but still re- 
poses in his own Stratford-upon-Avon, agreeably to the re- 
quest which he had inscribed on his grave : 

" Kinde friend, for Jesus' sake forbeare 
To dig the duste enclosed here ! " 

The most splendid part of the Abbey is St. Mary's, or 
" Our Lady's " Chapel, built by Henry VIL, and hence 
called " Henry the Seventh's Chapel." It is built out from 
the eastern part of the main building, and is the most per- 



190 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

fecfc thing we ever saw. Every thing in it, like the works 
of Nature, admits closer and closer inspection — all is 
more than it assumes to be — mor(? than it first appears. 

" In elder daj's of art, 

Builders wrought with nicest care 

Each minute and unseen part, 
For the gods are everywhere." 

The fretted vault-work over head, the close array of 
saints beneath the upper windows, partially concealed by 
the banners of the Knights of the Bath, whose emblazoned 
stalls occupy full lines of both sides of the room — every 
thins; is most noble and real ! 

In the centre of the terminating sweep, stands the 
chantry inclosure of brass, still more richly wrought ; and 
again, within that, yet richer than anything else, the 
tomb of King Henry VII. and his Queen. Nothing can 
exceed this in rich splendor. In his will he ordered that 
prayers should be offered at this shrine as long as the 
world stands, for the salvation of his soul ; but it has 
fallen into Protestant hands, and this item in his will is not 
now regarded. 

This splendid room is where the Westminster Assembly 
of Divines sat and framed the Assembly's Shorter Cate- 
chism, when Cromwell had kicked over the throne, be- 
headed the King, and set up for Republicanism and 
C ongr e gationalism . 

When we entered the edifice and advanced to the 
principal nave, religious service was being conducted in 
one of the transepts. No other part of the building can 
be visited till this service is over ; and so, making a virtue 
of necessity, we took a seat and witnessed the ceremony. 
The Congregation was large, but it consisted of people 
who came to visit the Abbey, and were caught like our- 



SOMERSET PALACE AND WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 191 

self. The interior of the principal nave which is first 
entered, is of cruciform shape. The service was in the 
right arm of the crucifix, which is a splendid room, 
entered by arches and itself a combination of arches all 
contributing to a still larger arch. It is finished in the 
proudest style. The real congregation who came for the 
use of the service, appeared to be two hired priests and a 
dozen or two of hired chanters. The rest were all specta- 
tors, waiting for the other doors to be opened, so they 
could go about the building. The priest was a young 
man who read, or rather sang, tolerably well — for all 
the service was chanted. He kept his key note, and 
when his voice should fall at the close of a period, the 
choir sung " Amen," as a harmonious terminal. This 
was about all the singers had to do. Those who, at any 
time repeated the service with him, chanted as he did. I 
suppose it woula be unlawful for any worshipper to jpray^ 
who could not pray in accordance with the musical notes 
before him. It would be decidedly vulgar to pray in the 
style of an address. Oh ! Lord — what has pride done to 
corrupt and deaden the lively spirit of Christianity, We 
verily believe such proud and ceremonious mummery as 
we witnessed in Westminister Abbey has done more to 
make infidels than all the cavils of Hume and Voltaire. 
No religion but a humble one ever did any good ; and 
none but such a religion will ever silence the objections of 
infidels. But how much humility is there in the English 
Church ? It is the very highest point of fashion and of 
pride, that sets example for the proud and fashion-loving 
people of England — and of some in America. 

It seems to me there is something revolting in convert- 
ing a place erected for the living worship of God into a 



192 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

gloomy and offensive sepulchre for the putrefying bodies 
of the dead. Is there any reason — any suitableness in 
such a strange arrangement ? If we are to have tombs 
and sepulchres, let us have them ; but if we are to have 
houses and churches, let us have them, and each in its 
proper place. But to combine both in one is revolting — 
to my mind at least. More than all, it seems to me 
decidedly in bad taste, that in a national mausoleum, 
monuments of family vanity, even in royal blood, should 
be allowed. Monuments are records to be examined, not 
ndvertisments for fame. 

Returning from the Abbey I strolled into the burying 
grounds outside of the building next the street, where the 
common dead repose in the sweet bosom of the earth. 
This is made accessible by gates ; all the grave-stones are 
slabs lying on the ground and are so worn by human feet 
walking over them that in many cases the inscriptions are 
actually worn out, and to preserve others, surviving friends 
have resorted to the expedient of drilling holes in the 
slabs, a few inches apart, all over the surface, and insert- 
ing short iron pins that project an inch or two so as to 
prevent people stepping upon them. I was curious to 
look amongst the stones and read the inscriptions with a 
view to see the names of our New England ancestry, and 
notice how far they differed from an American church 
yard. I felt quite at home here ; more at home in holy 
communion with the humble, silent dead, than amongst 
the noisy things of the equally unknown living that 
crowd the gay streets around me. The names were as 
familiar as in a Yankee burying ground. With my pencil 
I took down some of them, which I insert here that my 
readers of the same names may conjecture where their 



SOMERSET PALACE AND WESTMINSTER ABBEY. 193 

own families sprang from. The grave yard is on the north 
side of the Abbey, and consists perhaps of one or two 
acres. It is full of bodies. Such names as the following 
are in it : — Munroe, Miller, Barrett, Cross, Hawkins, 
Marsh, Harris, Andrews, Edwards, Cox, Thompson, 
Briggs, Hatch, Henderson, King, Moody, Johnson, Ran- 
dall, Smith, Page, Bancroft, Cook, Weston, Golding, 
Baker, Wilson, Townsend, Field, Maddock, Chamberlain, 
Hamilton, Rice, Rust, Walker, Moore, Evans, Chapman, 
Sparks, Taylor, Harding, Mitchell, Simpson, Hawes, 
Badger, Allen, Burr, Pratt, Clark, Ball, Nash, Wright, 
Robinson, Crocker, Webb, Morris, Brown, Cooper, Stone, 
Lee, Wood, Jones, Scott, Gray, Burton. These are all 
familiar names in Maine and other parts of New England, 
and it is very likely the original ancestors of those who 
now bear them amongst us lie in the Church Yard of 
Westminster Abbey, whose graves I stood over. Oh! 
that the departed spirits of the dead, by all the solemn 
realities of what they know, might ever be around and 
amongst their earthly posterity to influence their hearts to 
all holy affections, and their lives to every deed of duty. 



IT 



LETTER XVIII. 

APPROACHING THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 

London itself a Grand Fair — Army of Police — Politeness — Systematic 
Charilies — Begging forbidden — Brief description of the Crystal Palace 
— The American Department — Gathering Stock to work up at Home — 
Hyde Park — Tardy progress of Republican ideas in England. 

London^ August 7^ 1851. 

The world is here to see the Crystal Palace and its 
contents ; but spacious as is the edifice, and magnificent 
as is the Exhibition in it, there are whole streets in Lon- 
don, which, if possible, are equally gorgeous and beauti- 
ful. Indeed, this vast city is at the present season, 
almost itself one grand Fair. So numerous are the objects 
of interest on all sides, that strangers, during the first 
stages of their visit here, are hardly able to get as far as 
Hyde Park, on which the Crystal Palace is situated, for 
some time. I have been in London a week, and yet, must 
confess, I have spent but one day in the Great Ex- 
hibition ; first, I desired to get the lay of the land, take 
an outside look, and avail myself of opportunities that 
might not later occur, of seeing certain matters and things 
interesting in the past and present history of the city and 
kingdom. A person might spend six months here as a 
constant observer, and find enough to do without reaching 
the Crystal alace. 



APPROACHINa THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 195 

London this summer, like a Queenly Capital, is clad in 
her beautiful garments, and is dressed up for the Fair, 
The Royal Grovernment, the Benevolent and Literary 
Institutions, the places of Amusement, the Palaces and 
Club Houses, and stores and shops have all combined to 
see what could be done to make the World's Metropolis 
appear to best advantage to the world attracted hither, — 
and I repeat, it is all put in order like one vast Fair — so 
that the Crystal Palace loses in a measure its pre-eminence 
of attraction. 

The citizens seem aware that their streets are full of 
strangers here on pleasant ahd friendly offices, and 
wherever we go we meet with nothing but polite atten- 
tions. Indeed, politeness is one of the virtues universally 
cultivated from childhood in London. . A well clad army 
of Police is stationed all over the city within sight of 
each other, constantly perambulating the streets, to keep 
all things in order and to give strangers every species of 
information they may desire. You cannot go ten rods 
without finding a Policeman, and when you ask for infor- 
mation on any subject in relation to streets, residences, 
places of business, public offices, conveyances, or indeed 
almost any matter of history, you will find him instantly 
serving you with a zeal that shows how deep an interest 
he takes in accommodating you. He will even watch the 
omnibus drivers, hack-men and porters, to see that they 
are not attempting to take advantage of you. No viola- 
tions of law can well take place in their presence ; and as 
they are present every where, everything is most orderly. 
I have not seen a drunken man, nor heard a profane or 
vulgar word in one of the streets of London — nor have 
I seen a beggar ! This may surprise you. I myself ex- 



196 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

pected at every turn to be accosted by pitiable objects of 
distress soliciting alms ; but with the exception of a very 
reasonable request made of me by one of the boys in Field 
Lane Ragged School last Sabbath evening — a request, of 
course, I was glad to gratify, I have not, since I have 
been in London, met with an individual soliciting charity. 
The truth is — and for the credit of London, the world 
ought to know it — there is and can be no real suffering 
known in London, which is not provided for by legal and 
benevolent institutions which do a glorious work of charity 
on the surest and most efficient systems. Begging is for- 
bidden. No one dare beg in presence of a police officer. 
He knows that a man will be at his elbow in a moment 
who will ascertain whether the applicant is really needy 
or not ; and if he is, will refer him at once to the proper 
source of rehef ; and if not, will see that he is properly 
punished for his attempting to impose upon strangers. 
Police officers tell us, if you would not be imposed upon, 
and would do good, just call at No. — on — Street, and 
purchase tickets according to your own liberality, varying 
from one farthing to one pound ; and if a beggar accosts 
you, give him one of those tickets. He will go to the 
office, and if he is in need, the cost of the ticket he brings 
will be paid him in money or food, or clothing, or anything 
else he or she may need. This is the late Sir Robert 
Peel's system, and saves the city from all nuisances of 
beggary. It is entitled to the consideration of Boston, 
New York and other cities of America where begging is 
made a profitable business of. I suspect the fact is not 
generally known, at it should be, that the wealth of Lon- 
don has provided for all the pressing wants of the really 
unfortunate and meritorious poor. Why, we cannot go 



APPROACHING THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 197 

any where without reading upon the walls of buildings the 
arrangements which are made by heaven-born charity for 
the relief of the distressed. Just at the corner of the 
street where I have my lodgings, is a long building, larger 
than the Maine Insane Hospital, on the walls of which are 
painted in great letters running almost the whole length 
of the front — "Strangers or citizens, unprovided with 
homes, who are sick, are received here on their own ap- 
plication, and taken care of gratuitously." And on the 
main door, over the knocker — " Ask and ye shall receive 
— knock and it shall be opened unto you." Another 
Hospital, not far off, is established for the reception of 
abandoned females whom the pohce officers take up by 
night. There they are provided for, and measures taken 
if possible, to better their condition and induce them to 
abandon their course. If they appear at all desirous to 
reform, they are, in due time, after receiving proper medi- 
cal attention, sent to another establishment, wholly man- 
aged by matronly females, where they are set at work, 
and moral and religious discipline is established calculated 
to encourage and reform them. By invitation of Rev. C. 
Spear, who was invited to preach in one of those Hospitals 
last Sabbath morning, I went into the " London Female 
Penitentiary" with him, and there saw a chapel full of 
females just raised from the gutter, clad in neatest quaker 
suits, with brown dresses, white caps and aprons — all in 
exact uniform. A proportion of such Magdalenes become 
permanently cured and reformed. In no country of the 
world is charity so well and philosophically systematized 
as in England. I do not say there is not poverty here ; 
there is indeed. Did I not see it at the Jack Sheppard 
Ruins and the Ragged School last Sunday night ? Oh ! 
17* 



198 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

mj God! be merciful — be merciful to thy creatures; 
and make us the instruments of answering this prayer ! 
Never, never did I see, or dream of seeing, such vice and 
misery, and so much of it, before ! But I must forbear 
now, and make this the subject of another communication. 

I have said that I have yet been to the Glass Palace 
but once. I shall go many times more, at my conveni- 
ence. The object of my first day's visit was to see its 
exterior, and the Park on which it is situated, and to take 
a running view of the contents. No one can do this in 
less than a day. It fully equals my expectations. Con- 
ceive of a glass building covering 18 acres of land, so 
high as to embrace elm trees 108 feet in height beneath 
its roof; and besides the main floor, two stories of 
galleries rising above each other to the top — the stained 
glass throwing their rays of light in the most advantage- 
ous directions upon the infinite variety of goods, wares, 
specimens of fine arts, skill, taste, &c., which cover the 
thirty-two miles of tables which run though the edifice ! 
Was there ever anything like it ? Never. 

Flags of all nations are displayed from the roof in every 
direction. Those of my own country, the '' Stars and 
Stripes," I was proud to notice, were the fl7'st, under 
which everybody enters the Palace, who approaches it 
from the east, to the main entrance. There is an entire 
line of them across this whole end of the building, mingled 
occasionally with English Flags, showing the friendship of 
nations having a common origin. The first department in- 
side is devoted to the United States ; and though it is now 
well filled, yet it was not so extensively occupied at first, 
,as we could wish. The English knowing the Yankee tricks 
of brother Jonathan, were expecting that the daughter 



APPROACHING THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 199 

would outdo the mother, and of course were stimulated to 
make the greater exertions themselves. But the truth is, 
America is a great distance hence — much farther than 
the continental nations of Europe. Our people were not 
prepared to go or send their things, so far, to the Exhibi- 
tion ; moreover, our government could do little or nothing 
towards defraying the expense, as other nations did for 
their citizens. True, the Secretary fitted out one ship, 
and allowed articles to come into it free ; but the expense 
of getting them to the ship in New York, and then from 
Southampton to London, with perhaps no one to take care 
of them whilst here, or return them to the States again, 
were very formidable obstacles to a general sending of 
things to the Exhibition from America. And besides, we 
do not yet profess to excel in all the Fine Arts, and are 
not driven to the necessity of showing how much labor 
can be expended on small things. Other nations less 
favored, have been obliged to do this, and they are here 
with all their handy-work. If America would show herself 
to the world, she must bring on here what the Crystal 
Palace cannot hold, — her Mississippis, her Ohios, her 
Eries, her Superiors, her vast Prairies, her interminable 
Lumber Forests, her Water Power, her Railroads, her 
Merchant Ships, &c. In needle and brush work we do 
not profess to compete with Germany or Italy. The Amer- 
ican part, however, of the Exhibition is highly respect- 
able, and creditable to us. Since the Exhibition opened, 
Mr. Lawrence has sent home to America for the right sort 
of things ; and John Bull will, yet see where the pre- 
miums go. 

The list begins with "Maine," — so that on entering 
the Palace, under the American flag, the world is first 



200 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

introduced to our own State. I have taken some pains, 
and shall take more, to call the attention of the world to 
the National Resources and Industrial Interests of Maine ; 
but unless I spend some time and watch for the moving 
of waters, which move slow in this conservative land, I 
fear I shall not have so many opportunities as I could 
desire for this service. I cannot afford to stay a great 
while. Six weeks consumed on my passage, was a loss 
of three weeks time here. And then the expenses of living 
or staying in London are enormous. You cannot go or 
stay or turn around without putting your hand in your 
pocket, pretty deeply too, to the tune of some sort of ex- 
pense. Every thing is taxed in England — even the 
light we see and the air we breathe. I shall observe 
what I may, and do all I can, and gather up materials on 
which to work after I get home. Like a man who goes 
out in the forests for his stock and brings it into his shop 
for manufacture, so I have come out to England for 
materials, and shall take them home to my own laboratory 
to put in shape in a more quiet and convenient place — 
even the sanctuary of my own home . 

The Park on which the Glass Palace is erected, con- 
nected with two other Parks and Kensington Gardens all 
running together, embraces as I have said, more than 
eight hundred acres, and has on it carriage ways, race 
courses, foot paths, fountains and a long pond or lake 
called Serpentine River. This is near the Palace, and is 
a beautiful sheet. Swans in graceful motion, ducks, 
geese, &c., rest upon its bosom ; a bridge crosses it, from 
which you may see row boats, long, narrow and light built 
for racers, sail boats, and one ship, full rigged, a young 
man-of-war belonging to Victoria's oldest boy. On the 



APPROACHING THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 201 

green swards of the Park are sheep, deer, ponies and 
donkeys feeding. On the carriage wajs the richest 
vehicles and stateUest coaches are moving, drawn by ele- 
gant spans of horses, driven by one man in gold lace 
mounted on the near horse, and another as gaudily dress- 
ed on the box, whilst another sits on a little cushioned 
seat, fringed with gold lace, in the rear of the body of 
the main carriage — and ail this to carry perhaps one 
Lord and his Lady, or it may be one child only. The 
liveried servants are numerous and ii\e way they ^' dance 
attendance on the great," is an illustration not of repub- 
licanism. Could England be free, she would be glorious. 
But I fear republicanism stands a sorrier chance for 
triumph — since Cromwell's efforts were killed off two 
hundred years ago, than in any civilized nation. The 
truth is, England is a ''fast anchored Isle," fast an- 
chored in old notions. She is the most conservative nation 
I know of, and this trait in her character will prevent all 
essential reforms in the constitution of her government. 

To-morrow I visit Windsor Castle, the House of Eng- 
lish Sovereigns for several centuries past. 



LETTER XIX. 



VISIT TO PARLIAMENT. 

Constitution of the English Government — Power of the Chief Magistrate 
— The Legislative Houses — Rights of Suffrage — Independence of the 
Crown — Parliament House — The First ever Built — Its locality, size, style 
— Victoria Tower — Quantity of Materials in the Edifice — Westminster 
Abbey — Introduction to the Government Palace — Position in the Gal- 
lery of the House of Lords — Different approaches to it — The Octagonal 
Hall in the House of Lords — Description of the chamber, seats, tables, 
woolsack, tribune, galleries, sttills, windows, paintings — The Lord Chan- 
cellor — No "Written Rules and Orders — Significance of the Woolsack — 
The Throne — Paintings in rear of the Throne — Ceiling — Peeresses Seat 
— Baronial Statues — Appearance of the Members — Subjects under dis- 
cussion — Speakers — The Duke of Wellington — Bag of Maintenance 
from the Commons — Young Prince of Wales and two Turks near the 
Throne — American Senate superior to House of Lords. 

LoNDOn, Aug. 6, 1851. 
The British Parliament consists of an hereditary Chief 
Magistrate, under the title of King or Queen, a House of 
Lords, and a House of Commons. No female can ascend 
the throne if she has a brother or any other male relation 
of the same rank as herself, living ; hence it is a rare 
thing for England to have a Queen — and this rarity- 
creates a new interest in the Government ; kings are 
much more common. The Executive Government, in 
fact, is in the hands of a Ministerial Cabinet appointed by 
the Crown, who exercise their functions on their own re- 
sponsibility. They are removable, or must resign, when 
their own personal influence, or that of their party, falls 



VISIT TO PARLIAMENT. 203 

into the minority. So that the changes in the Executive 
Government of England, follow the changes in pubHc sen- 
timent. In the United States, the Executive cannot be 
changed, however unpopular or odious, in less time than 
four years ; in England it may be changed at every vote 
of the popular branch of Parliament. The Queen has no 
control over the National Legislature, having given up the 
power, though not the right, of putting a veto on any 
measure. 

The House of Lords consists of hereditary Peers, 
twenty-eight Peers elected by the Irish Peers for life, six- 
teen by the Scotch Peers for each Parliament, and thirty 
Archbishops and Bishops of the EstabHshed Church of 
England. From time to time the Queen names new 
Peers, and occasionally, to strengthen a party, without 
increasing the stock of hereditary Peers, the eldest son of 
a Peer is called into the House of Lords. All are not 
" lords " who are Peers, or rather all are not called lords 
who are members of the Upper House — the lords are 
the lowest, then arise earls, marquises, and lastly dukes, 
which are only one step from the throne. 

The House of Commons consists of 650 members, 
elected by the people, and who hold the purse strings of 
the nation. Neither the nobility nor the monarch can 
touch a penny without the consent of the Commons. The 
right of suffrage differs in different districts. In some 
boroughs, every working-man is an elector ; but generally 
a voter must be a householder, or have some interest in 
the soil, either as proprietor or farmer. In London the 
right of voting is vested in the occupiers of houses, count- 
ing-houses, warehouses, or other buildings, the yearly rent 
of which, is at least £10. They must also have been 



204 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

taxed for the support of the poor, and what is better, they 
must have paid their poor rates ; however, their failure to 
pay other taxes is no disqualification. The Queen at the 
present session of Parliament has recommended the exten- 
sion of the rights of suffrage amongst her people — and 
this is the tendency of things now. No government in 
the world is so free as the English, excepting our own ; 
and even in some respects, the central power of Great 
Britain is not so fearful as that of our country. The 
power of the central government ceases with the political 
department. It has no local prerogatives. The local 
government is in the hands of independent authorities. 
The Queen herself cannot enter London without the con- 
sent of the city, through its Lord Mayor. Thus a degree 
of Federal independence, not existing in any Democracy, 
is found throughout the British Empire. 

Before I proceed to speak of my visit to the House of 
Lords, it is proper I should give some account of the Par- 
liament House itself — or, the Palace of Westminster. It 
is a remarkable fact, that, until this building was erected, 
which was commenced in 1835, and is not yet completed^ 
the British nation has never owned or had a House for its 
Legislative Assemblies. These, from time immemorial, 
have been lodged in places never built for them, some- 
times in chapter rooms, in public halls, monasteries, and 
royal palaces. A huge conglomerations of small buildings 
attached to each other, and in modern times occupied by 
the different Houses, was burnt in 1834, in the time of 
King William IV., and then the idea was started of 
erecting a Parliament House for the accommodation of the 
government, to be owned by the nation. The site is on 
the bank of the river Thames, and covers eight acres of 



VISIT TO PARLIAMENT. 205 

ground. Westminster Abbey is on the opposite side of 
the street ; and old Westminster Hall adjoins it on the 
north. The vast edifice is the most splendid, probably, in 
the world — in Gothic order, built of a hard, magnesian 
limestone, externally cut in panels and other ornamental 
work of the style of the time of Henry YIII., and has six 
lofty towers of the richest designs, the largest one of 
which, at the south-western corner, being the royal en- 
trance, is called the " Victoria Tower." This is crowned 
with four pinnacles, three hundred and forty feet from the 
ground. Its river front is one thousand feet in length, 
and the south part, extending to Westminster Hall, is 
three hundred and forty feet long. Though not yet com- 
pleted, already more than a million tons of stone, twenty- 
four milhons of brick, and five thousand tons of iron have 
been pat into the building. It is an immense and most 
splendid pile of Gothic buildings ; and as the eye rests 
upon its broad facades, its lofty turrets and towers, and 
its numerous pinnacles and rich fret-work, it presents a 
spectacle most grand and imposing, well worthy the 
Parliament of the British Empire. 

I have been spending the afternoon of August 5 in 
Westminster Abbey — that vast mausoleum which is made 
the final resting place of kings and queens, and dukes and 
nobles, and warriors and scholars, and poets and divines ; 
— and at 5 o'clock crossed the street, (Abingdon,) to the 
Victoria Tower of the Parliament House, and to the 
officer in waiting, presented the cards of introduction 
given to myself and son by Mr. Lawrence, and we were 
poUtely received and placed under a guide, who led us by 
narrow and circuitous passages, sometimes up stairs and 
18 



206 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

sometimes down — we could not say where, — till at last 
we found ourselves in the end gallery of the House of 
Lords, opposite the Throne, in presence of the Peers upon 
their seats, and surveying the rich displays of a Chamber 
among the most magnificently finished and ornamented, 
probably, of any room in the world. 

Fancy yourself, kind reader, seated with us, as if upon 
one of the singing seats of a meeting-house gallery. 
None are admitted to these seats during session of the 
Peers, but by cards issued from the proper office, and 
which are limited to the number of seats. The foreign 
ministers are furnished, each day with a small number of 
these cards, by which they can introduce a few friends of 
their own country to the British Halls of Legislation. 
The seats around us are all comfortably filled, and at our 
left sits a member of the House of Commons, who will be 
so kind as to explain all we may desire to know, of the 
place and the characters that move in it. 

The room before us is in the centre of the south half of 
the Palace, and is lighted by windows looking into open 
courts, within the exterior rooms of the main building, on 
both sides, east and west. It is approached through the 
royal court and gallery and prince's chamber on the south, 
and from the central hall, an octagonal room in the exact 
centre of the building, mid-way, between the Houses of 
Lords and Commons. This hall, by the way, is sixty 
feet in diameter and sixty feet high, crowned by 
a massive dome, surrounded with a fight open stone 
lantern, and spire three hundred feet high. Long 
corridors lead from this octagonal Hall to the House 
of Lords, south, and the House of Commons north, 
adjacent to which Houses, and the ends of the corridors, 



VISIT TO PARLIAMENT. 207 

are lobbies for the respective chambers. Now look into the 
House. It is ninety feet long, by forty-five wide, and forty- 
five high. Below you, on the main floor, are the Peers in 
their seats, the Lord High Chancellor on the Woolsack, 
and the Scribes at their tables. The floor is covered with 
the richest Axminster carpets of silk velvet, in checks of 
various colors. The members' seats are arranged with 
great simplicity. There are three rows of them, extend- 
ing lengthwise on each side of the Chamber, cut by aisles 
running back to the stalls against the wall, into four 
sections — that is, each row consists of four seats ten feet 
long. These seats are like straight benches, stufied and 
lined with red morocco. In the middle of the room, 
between and in front of these tiers of seats, is a wide 
space the whole length of the hall, which answers for a 
passage way, and is so wide as to admit large tables in the 
centre of the hall. The first table, nearly beneath us, is 
for clerks, who sit in gold lace coats and powdered wigs, 
with their books and stationery before them. A few feet be- 
yond this table is another, square one, a sort of tribune, 
on which are books, and to which each member advances 
from his seat as he rises to address the House. A little 
beyond that is what is called the Woolsack, something hke 
a great sack of wool, covered with scarlet cloth, and long 
enough to reach nearly across the main passage from the 
Peers' seats on the opposite sides. It has in the centre a 
red stufied block, against which the man who sits upon it 
may rest his back. It is all the support he has. This 
Woolsack is the seat of the Lord High Chancellor, who 
is the presiding ofiicer of the House. He does not appear 
to have much to do, for he has no power to enforce rules 



208 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

or to caU members to order. Indeed, though we hear 
much of " Parliamentary Rules " in this country, there 
are n?J Rules in the House of Lords. Every member is 
supposed to have sense of propriety enough to be a Rule 
unto himself, and if he has not, he suffers disgrace — 
that is all. The Lord Chancellor is clad in a long black 
surplice, with white bands under his chin, hke those worn 
by a clergyman, and with a grey lace cap covering his 
head like a close-fitting night-cap, with its ears or cape 
descending to his elbows and hips. He keeps about the 
Woolsack, but not always upon it. He is moving about 
amongst the members in cheerful conversation, whilst dis- 
cussions are going on. No member, as I have said, speaks 
in his seat, but at the table, a tribune in the centre, and 
then he does not address the Chair, the Woolsack, nor the 
Lord Chancellor, but " My noble Lords." The Woolsack 
is preserved as a memorial of the great business England 
has always done in the manufacture of wool. 

Behind the Woolsack, there is a bar like a fence of 
golden palings, across the House, which partitions that 
end of the Chamber into a sanctuary for the Throne. 
This is within that enclosure, on a dais of three steps, ex- 
tending nearly back to the wall. The throne is embraced in 
a golden framework and is under a superb Gothic canopy, 
supported by four golden columns or pillars in front. 
Small golden spires arise from the top of this canopy. 
The platform of the throne is covered with a silk velvet 
carpet, wrought in large squares of crimson and white. 
On this royal elevation are three large old fashioned 
arm chairs, with high perpendicular backs rising to a 
point ; the arms are strait and wide, and the whole is 



VISIT TO PARLIAMENT. 209 

covered uniformly with crimson velvet. There is nothing 
ornamental in the shape of carved work or gold trim- 
mings, on either chair. The middle one is for Her Majesty, 
the Queen; that on the right, is for her elder son, 
the Prince of Wales, who is always heir apparent to the 
Throne ; and that on the left, is for Her Royal Consort, 
Prince Albert. The whole floor space within the great 
bar, already spoken of, which is elevated one step above 
the main floor of the House, and from which the Throne in 
the centre arises, is also carpeted with the richest figures. 
On this carpet, in front of the Throne are four golden 
pedestals, with twenty candles in each. On the wall 
behind the Throne are three compartments in the form of 
arches, frescoed. The painting in the one immediately 
behind the Throne represents the baptism of King Ethel- 
bert ; that on the right the Black Prince, receiving from 
Edward III., the order of the Garter; and that on the 
left, Henry V. when Prince of Wales, submitting to the 
authority of Judge Gascoigne, who ordered him to prison. 
The first is intended as a personification of Religion ; the 
second, of Chivalry ; and the third of Justice. 

The ceiling overhead is divided by cross beams, with 
elegant gilded cornices, constituting eighteen squares, 
which at the ends of the Chamber make the tops of three 
compartments, meeting them from the walls, and six on 
each side of the room, where are like correspondences 
with the six windows below the ceiling. 

The arrangement of members' seats has already been 

mentioned. The three rows described, do not extend 

back to the wall, but between the upper row and the wall 

are six richly finished stalls, one in each compartment, the 

18* 



210 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

carved sides of which rise as supporters for a narrow 
gallery, that has a most superb front, and that is finished 
into rich stalls, with four red velvet seats, for the accom- 
modation of eight persons. These are intended for Peer- 
esses. Behind these gallery stalls, on the walls, is a 
carved ballustrade that rises to the base of six great arched 
windows, which ascend to meet the squares upon the lofty 
ceiling. These windows are of stained glass, represent- 
ing the Kings and Queens of England. Against the 
piers separating the frescoes at the Throne end, are 
statues of two of the barons who aided in obtaining 
Magna Charter, and the sixteen others who aided in the 
same great securities for English liberty, are to be placed 
on the piers at the sides between the great windows. Chan- 
deliers hang out from these. There is a door on either side 
of the Throne, that leads to the Prince's chamber in rear 
ot it. 

When we arrived at the Parliament House it was 
early — only 5 o'clock, P.M. The sessions commence 
thus early, but generally last till midnight. There were 
but few Peers present when we reached the gallery, but 
it was not long before the number amounted to forty or 
fifty. The Lord Chancellor was on the Woolsack, dressed 
as I have described. He appeared to be a bright, active 
man of about sixty years of age. The members were 
carelessly or indiiFerently, lounging upon their seats, or 
moving about the chamber at pleasure. The seats at the 
right of the Woolsack, were occupied by Bishops in 
lawn. During the two hours we remained, the subjects 
under consideration were the absorbing Catholic question, 
of the right of the Pope to establish an ecclesiastical 
dynasty in Great Britain, without the consent of the 



VISIT TO PARLIAMENT. 211 

English Government, and some local matters in relation to 
Canada Several Peers advanced from their seats to the 
table and spoke on these subjects, amongst whom was the 
Earl of Shaftesbury, formerly Lord Ashley, the father of 
the Ragged School System, Earl Gray, Lord Monteagle, 
the old " Iron Duke," Lord Wellington, a Bishop Some- 
body, and others. They spoke rather like sensible, poHte 
gentlemen, assembled together in a parlor, than as orators 
in the forum. Wellington was clad in a blue coat with 
white pantaloons. Most of the time he stood or sat with 
his hat on ; but when he spoke, he uncovered, and ex- 
posed a very grey head. He is eighty-five years old, and 
it is nearly forty years since he conquered Napoleon on 
the field of Waterloo and made him an exile on St. 
Helena. He appeared quite erect, and moved with a 
cautious but prompt miUtary step. His voice is harsh, 
and he spoke but a short time and withdrew from the 
Chamber through one of the doors by the side of the 
Throne. He is said to have more influence than any other 
Peer in the House. We did not see Lord Brougham — 
being ill all summer, he has at no session been present. 
The Lords had no insignia of office upon their persons, but 
were clad in citizens' dresses according to the common 
fashions of the day. 

There was on the large table of the Scribes, in the 
centre of the Chamber, an old-fashioned jappaned tin 
trunk, with handles on the end, and a stripe of worn-out 
gilding upon the corners. I suppose it is some ancient 
receptacle of old papers or records — perhaps the Magna 
Charta itself. 

The most the Lord Chancellor had to do whilst we were 
there, was occasionally to pass from the table in front of 



212 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

his Woolsack down the avenue, under our gallery to the 
door that leads to the House of Commons ; and anon he 
would return with a golden Carpet Bag hanging from his 
arm ; and as he returned to his table he would exclaim, 
" Message from the House of Commons ! '* and thrust his 
arm into the Bag, take out a paper and announce the sub- 
ject matter of it. This he did many times whilst we were 
in the Chamber. I suppose the Bag that contained the 
Messages from the Lower House, was golden, to signify 
that as the House hold the purse-strings, all the supplies, 
for government must come from that source. 

Whilst we sat noticing the rich displays all over this 
magnificently finished room, I noticed for a long time 
two live Turks, in full costume, with caps, turbans and 
shawls, and a tall, active, polite lad about ten years of age, 
all standing or walking behind the bar, and within the 
enclosure that contained the Throne. Interrogating the 
Commoner at our side for an explanation of such persons 
in that sacred place, he remarked, that those Turkish 
gentlemen were Pachas from Egypt, and the lad who ac- 
companied them was the Prince of Wales, the Queen's 
eldest boy. It is the prerogative of royalty alone to 
witness the proceedings of the Peers from that point, and 
therefore he had introduced the Turks to gratify their 
curiosity. We reflected that, in a few years, probably, that 
boy will be King Alfred II. of England. It is said, but 
I know not how true it is, that Victoria is so averse to the 
responsibilities of the Queen, that she designs as soon as 
her Heir becomes of age, to abdicate the Throne, and give 
the reins into his hands. If so, this will be the first 
instance of voluntary abdication in English history. 



VISIT TO PARLIAMENT. 213 

There appeared to be but few old men amongst the 
Peers — most of them are men in middle life. Nor, by 
what I saw and heard, did I see any evidences of great- 
ness amongst them. The British House of Lords is not 
equal to the American Senate. The Peers have no pay 
for their services — " they work for nothing and find 
themselves ," This, I believe, is also true of the members 
of the House of Commons, 



LETTER XIX 



VISIT TO WINDSOR CASTLE. 

Ride to Windsor — Beauty of the Country and Fragrance of the Fields — 
Hedges — Reapers, Male and Female — Corn Ricks, or Grain Barns — 
Cottages — Town of Windsor — Location of the Castle — Appearance of 
its Walls — Entrance — Delay Improved — St. George's Chapel — Knight's 
Stalls — Queen's Closet — Paintings by West — Altar Tombs — Inscribed 
Prayer for Henry VII. and his Dean — Royal Tomb House — Princess 
Charlotte's Cenotaph — The Round Tower — State Prisoners — View from 
the top — The Gold Rooms — Back to London — Aspiration — The Royal 
Mews — Queen's Ponies — State Apartments — Queen's Audience Chamber 
— Presence Chamber — Guard Chamber — Banqueting Hall — The Throne 
— Ball Room — Waterloo Gallery — Grand Staircase — Other Rooms — 
Eton College — The Parks — Long Walk — King George's Statue — Herds 
of Deer — Prince Albert's Fields — His Interest in Agriculture — Apos- 
trophe to Windsor Forest. 

Windsor Castle, Aug. 7, 1851. 

I BEGIN this Letter, as you will perceive by its date, in 
the dwelling-place of Majesty, the Queen's House, which 
has been the birth place of Princes and the residence of 
Monarchs for eight hundred years. I say I begin it here, 
but shall not finish it, probably, till my return to London 
this evening. I seize a half-hour of constrained rest — 
waiting my turn to be introduced to the State Apartments 
of the Royal Castle ; — and, with a golden pen that I just 
now purchased under the shadows of the Round Tower, 
commence the first use of it by writing whilst yet the 
subject is fresh upon my mind and in my very eye. I am 
like John the Revelator — in one humble respect ; — 
wherever I am, at home or abroad, in a Log Cabin or 



VISIT TO WINDSOR CASTLE. 215 

a Monarch's Palace, I hear a voice saying unto me — 
" Write ! " And I must " not be disobedient to the 
heavenly vision.' ' 

Our party came up hither, twenty-two miles, from the 
City of the World, early this morning, to spend the entire 
day in and around Windsor Castle. By the favor of Mr. 
Lawrence, we were honored with a special introduction, 
which secures to us some privileges which cannot be com- 
manded by common visitors, who have to purchase tickets 
of admission. The daily average of such visitors is one 
thousand. The Queen allows all the Castle to be thus 
visited, except her private apartments, every day but Tues- 
days, Fridays and Sundays. 

The ride from London to Windsor in a clear morning 
sun, and an air made fragrant by fields of honeysuckle all 
the way, is very dehghtful ; and, amidst such scenery, is 
absolutely enchanting. I never saw anything so beautiful 
as an English landscape in the harvest season and on such 
a dewy morn. No wonder England has given birth to 
some of the best pastoral poets of the world. The eye 
drmks in pleasure from every point, and turns reluctantly 
from one view only to take a new and still more wonderful 
one in another direction. If there is any part of the 
habitable globe where art and wealth have made earthly 
things, a representation of a heavenly paradise, it is upon 
the banks of the Thames, from the great Metropolis to the 
abode of the Imperial Sovereign. It is worth a whole voy- 
age from America to Europe, to behold and enjoy. Yonder, 
are the stately edifices of Lords and Gentry, half con- 
cealed by intervening parks, and approached by " winding 
ways, through forest, field and lawn." The surrounding 
grounds, which, in every case, are ample, — sometimes 



216 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

amounting to a thousand acres, — are cultivated in a 
style of perfection hardly yet known in our own country ; 
and the beautifully trimmed hedges — the only fences 
here seen — bending under the weight of crimson red 
berries, or bloommg with flowers that hang like a border- 
m^ of lace from vines trained alonf? their ambrosial sides 
— meet the eye every where, dividing the grounds into 
gardens and lawns and fields and avenues of all dimensions. 

The reapers are in the midst of the harvest season — 
taking down the precious grain in every direction. Men, 
and as many women, ply the sickle with dexterity and 
good cheer. The smiling faces and the merry songs show 
the joys of an English " harvest homeJ^ I never saw 
such extensive fields of wheat, nor such healthy and 
abundant crops. But no barns of wood or stone are to be 
seen. The grain, after being gathered into bundles and 
standing a few days, is made into ricks, by skilful hands 
with ropes, and even a ridge pole and leaves, of the same 
golden material, and look, for all the world, like solid 
barns of grain and *' nothing else." They are in every 
field, and often near the road-side, and give the whole 
country a thickly-settled appearance of what, with us, 
would be a new kind of edifices. The extensive meadows, 
which have once been mown, and on which the fragrant 
hay-ricks stand, have put forth a second growth of honey- 
suckle clover which is now in full blossom, and makes the 
ample fields appear covered with the richest living carpets. 

The Enghsh cottages, too, are numerous — often clus- 
tered into villas — with rural life in its beauties — show- 
ing that, after all, there may be more happiness at the 
rustic's hearth than in the nobleman's parlor. 



VISIT TO WINDSOR CASTLE. 21T 

Thus we have ridden from London up river to this old 
home of English kings. When within two miles of our 
destination, we had our first glimse of the Royal Castle. 
We could see it rising above all other lands and edifices, 
like a majestic crown upon the common head of paradise. 

We entered the town, or village of Windsor — a place 
about the size of Augusta, but not so handsome — by 
crossing a beautiful stone bridge, under which, upon the 
glassy surface of the Thames, we noticed several large 
black swans gracefully moving upon the waters. The 
street, from the bridge, rises sharply southward, with blocks 
of old brick stores on the right hand side, where trading 
is done on a small scale ; but on the left is a crowning 
blufi" whereon the venerable and huge Castle stands, in 
royal magnificence, overlooking the town, the river and 
twelve counties of England, surrounding this central point 
of Queenly power. The street proceeds up the hill and 
winds to the left, passing the whole southern part of the 
Castle. This is so large, and has been enlarged successive- 
by so many kings — here a new wing, there a new arch, 
and yonder new towers and battlements, that really it 
seems quite a city of itself. The old part of the Castle is 
the west end, near the street that rises from the bridge. 
That was built by WilUam, the Norman Conqueror of Eng- 
land, and appears very old. Ivy creeps up its antiquated 
walls and thrusts its tendrils into the opening seams, and 
upon the rough surfaces of the deep blue stones. I 
noticed that some parts of the Castle here were in ruinS;, 
and workmen were engaged in making repairs. As you 
advance, the edifice appears more sound and modern, till 
you reach the other, or eastern end, which is the nursery 
19 



218 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

where Victoria has her private quarters. From the 
street, here called Church street, the Castle, or rather the 
Court within it, is entered under the venerable Arch 
of King Henry YIII's. Gateway, which is supported by 
two massive towers, on either hand. There are several 
of such archways on the different sides of the Castle — 
the last of which was made by King William lY., and 
each of which is guarded by sentinels around. 

On our arrival, we were too early to gain admission to 
the State Apartments ; and hitherto, we have employed 
ourselves in taking outside views, visiting St. George's 
Chapel, where the Royal Family worships, taking a view 
from the Round Tower, examining the plate in the Gold 
Room and passing through some of the corridors of the 
Castle. Having done this, it is time to rest ; and so I 
have seated myself on one of the velvet cushions in a 
projecting window of an ante-room that looks out upon 
the Royal Garden of twenty-tAvo acres, taken out my 
portfolio and new pen, and must improve the half hour 
before me in writing down my observations in each of 
those places. After this we shall proceed through the 
State Apartments, visit the the Royal Mews, go out upon 
the Home Park, ride down Long Way, take a look at 
Virginia Water, stroll in the Windsor Forest of Shak- 
speare, take a last farewell view of this Royal Castle, 
return to London, where I hope to finish the rest of my 
day's observations, before I sleep. 

St. George's Chapel has daily service in it, attended 
by the Royal Family, and the great officers of Her 
Majesty resident within the Castle. It has a Dean and 
full corps of ecclesiastics to perform the ceremonies, who 
have their quarters near the Chapel, which is within the 



VISIT TO WINDSOR CASTLE. 219 

quadrangle of the main building. The edifice is a splendid 
one, built by King Edward III. shortly after he instituted 
the Order of the Garter in 1350. It was dedicated to 
St. George, the patron saint of that Order, and hence is 
called St. George's Chapel. It is the place for the grand 
encampments of the Knights of the Garter. A matronly 
lady admitted and conducted us through the Chapel and 
its cloisters. The interior is calculated to excite the 
highest admiration. The floor is of a diamond marble, — 
alternately black and white. The roof is vaulted fret- 
work. The great window over the altar, of stained glass 
was designed by the American painter West, and repre- 
sents the resurrection of Jesus. The other windows also 
are stained with scripture figures designed by West. 
There is also a splendid painting by West above the com- 
munion table. On the walls of the maui floor, are ar- 
ranged the rich stalls of the Knights, twenty in num- 
ber, including Sovereigns, under the organ gallery. I 
noticed stalls here belonging to the Emperor of Russia, 
the King of Holland, the King of Prussia, the King of 
Saxony, the King of Belgium, the King of Wirtemberg, 
besides the Duke of Saxe-Coburg, Prince Albert's father, 
and several of the Dukes, Earls and Marquises of Great 
Britain. Over each stall, under a carved work, are the 
sword, mantle, helmet and crest of each Knight ; above 
these is the banner on which are his armorial bearings, 
and at the back of the seat are engraved brass records of 
his name, style and titles. The stall of the Sovereign is 
distinguished by a canopy and curtains of velvet, em- 
broidered with gold fringe. This, however, is not where 
she worships. There is a- gallery for her on the north of 
the Altar, called the " Queen's Closet." The curtains, 



220 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

chairs and others appurtenances are of the gartar-blue 
silk, and the window that enlightens it is ornamented with 
beautiful pictures in stained glass. Under this is the 
tomb of King Edward IV., ornamented with a monument 
of wrought steel. Near the eleventh stall are the remains 
of Henry VIII and his Queen, Lady Jane Seymour, and 
Charles I., who was beheaded under Cromwell. On the 
screen of a small chantry lower down the aisle, are the 
arms of Henry VII., who was a great admirer of the 
Dean of this Chapel, Dr. Christopher Urswick, upon 
which is the following inscription : — 

" Pray for the souls of King Henry YII. and Christofyr Urswick, some- 
time Lord Almoner to the King, and Dean of this Chapel. Hail, Mary, 
and blessed be thy holy mother Anne, from thy most pure virgin flesh 
issued without stain ; Amen. God have mercy on the souls of King 
Harry the Seventh, and Christofyr Urswick, and all Christian souls! 
Amen. O God, who by thy only-begotten Son didst redeem mankind, 
being incarnate of the Virgin womb, and having suffered death, deliver, 
we beseech then, the souls of Henry VII. and Christofyr, and all those 
whom Christofyr offeuded during life, from eternal death, and bring them 
to eternal life ! Amen. God have mercy." 

Doubtless the good Dean, as in duty bound, wrote this 
inscription for his King. He seemed to be faithful to his 
royal master's eternal interests, but was very careful 
not to iorget his own necessities in the same connexion. 
He needed to be prayed out of purgatory as well as 
Henry VII. 

At the east end of the Chapel is the Royal Tomb 
House, under which King George III. built a cemetery 
for the repose of his family. It is cut out of the strata of 
chalk, which constitutes the foundation of the Castle, and 
is fifteen feet in depth. The lady conducted us through 
a subterraneous passage down to this vault. On each 
side are the receptacles, for the bodies, formed by gothic 
octagonal pillars, supporting a range of four shelves. 



VISIT TO WINDSOR CASTLE. 221 

There we stood over the coffined remains of King George 
III., George IV., William IV., Queen Charlotte, the Duke 
of Kent, father of Victoria, the Duke of York, and the 
Princesses Charlotte an^ Amelia — all of whom have died 
within my own memory and since that vault was prepared. 
A Cenotaph of the universally beloved Princess Charlotte 
also stands in the choir of chapel. Such was the superiori- 
ty of her intellectual powers ^ the extent of her beneficence, 
and the singular purity of her personal example, that the 
whole civilized world felt afflicted in her death. I must 
confess I was disappointed in St. George's Chapel. My 
visit to it was more interesting even than that to West- 
minister Abbey. 

The Round Toweu is between the two wards of the 
castle, and is the highest of all the towers connected with 
it. The circumference is 30-3 feet, and its elevation from 
the Little Park to the top of the flag-stafif is 206 feet. 
When her Majesty is at home, the royal standard, fourteen 
yards long by eight wide, is displayed from the head of 
the Tower. In her absence, the union jack is hoisted, 
nine yards by six, instead. She is in London now, whilst 
Parliament is sitting. This stately Tower is the place for 
the confinement of State prisoners. When the son of 
Edward III., — the Black Prince — and his mother 
Philippa, conquered John, king of France, and David, 
king of Scotland, they were brought here and imprisoned 
in this Tower. And in time of the Commonwealth, 
Cromwell, who had possession of Windsor Castle, and 
sometimes resided in it, (taking excellent care of the 
premises) confined several troublesome Royahsts here, 
including the king, Charles I., himself. The Tower has a 
19* 



222 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Governor -who is invested with great authority. Prince 
Albert sustains that office in the Castle. 

A flight of one hundred steps forms the ascent to the 
main body of the building. At the top of these is an 
arched gateway, that leads into the principal apartment of 
the Tower ; here is a battery formerly mounted with 
seventeen cannon. 

Our view from this battlement was — what you may 
go the world over, and probably not find its like. Here 
we see the windings of the Thames glistening like a 
silver thread through a level country, rich in natural 
scenery, and richer by the appliances of art and science, 
with a succession of villages, mansions, and detached 
farm-houses ; the luxuriant landscape of the Windsor 
Forest and Parks, the bird's-eye view of the town beneath 
us, and the extensive prospect over estates and counties 
to distant hills — all this forms a panorama unequalled in 
any land for beauty and wealth. 

The Gold Rooms are on the ground floor of the Castle. 
Many of the rooms and corridors of this floor are dark and 
gloomy. We have not yet ascended to the principal 
story, where the State Apartments are to be seen ; but 
having to wait till they are opened, our letter from Mr. 
Lawrence has obtained for us an invitation to visit the 
Gold Rooms on this floor, which none but invited — no 
paying — guests can enter. An elderly gentleman, who 
seems " every inch a gentleman," conducted us to the 
Gold Rooms, and kindly explained to us the composition 
and uses of the various vessels. There are two of these 
rooms, connected by folding-doors. On two sides of each 
a^e row§ of shelve^ protected by glass windows, on which 
the table services are arranged, and in the middle of each 



VISIT TO WINDSOR CASTLE. 223 

room is a large mahogany table, also covered with various 
dishes. Everything is gold or silver — mostly gold — 
tea-cups, plates, platters, tureens, vases, urns, candela- 
bras, &c., &c. The gentleman told us the value of the 
whole was about $15,000,000, and that much of what we 
saw was in daily use upon Her Majesty's table. We 
noticed a golden salt-cellar, quite large, in shape of a 
donkey with panniers on his sides ; these were filled with 
salt, and the donkey thus constitutes the salt-cellar for 
the table. He also showed us a salver made out of the 
old gold snuff-boxes of the old kings, now worth ^45,- 
000, or $225,000. He also put into our hands several 
new gold snuff-boxes made for George HI., on which are 
the miniatures of his sons and daughters, most admirably 
executed. 

It is now evening, and I am again in London. The 
ride down, under the rays " aslant" of the setting sun, 
has been as inspiring as was the journey up in the morn- 
ing. The evening of life, like the peaceful close of a 
well-spent day, has glories as pecuhar to itself as are the 
hopeful charms of the morning of existence. Oh ! that 
the close of my own life may be as glorious, in the bril- 
liancy of well-ripened moral fruits, and in the hopes of 
future good, as the evening has been serene and lovely in 
which I have retired from the royal abode of England's 
lady sovereign. The next Throne before which I shall 
appear, will be the " Throne in the heavens," on which 
the Divine Majesty of the King of kings presides in holy 
love, for His universal dominions. The Lord prepare us, 
and all men, for a blessed abode in the celestial courts of 
the Most High, forever and ever ! 



224 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

I had written all in the rough, preceding the last para- 
graph, on a resting-stool in the Castle ; but as even 
there we could not, for the crowd, obtain admission to the 
State Apartments for an hour longer, we were advised to 
occupy this time by a visit to the Royal Mews. 

The Royal Mews is a term used to designate the col- 
lection of buildings erected for the accommodation of the 
royal horses, carriages, and persons having the charge and 
care of the same. Victoria's mews cost $350,000. The 
stables and courts, and stablemen's houses, cover about 
four acres. They are divided into five courts — the Pony 
Court is surrounded by stables for horses, a coach house 
for twelve pony carriages, with harness and saddle-rooms ; 
the Royal Riding House, 165 feet long by 51 wide, at 
the east end of which is a superb gallery for the Queen ; 
the Saddle-horse Court contains stables for saddle-horses, 
in which we saw some splendid Arab steeds belonging to 
Prince Albert ; the Coach House court, which contains 
the State carriages. The richest of these is one present- 
ed to Victoria by Louis Philippe of France, and the pret- 
tiest thing we ever saw, a pony carriage given to the 
Queen by Nicholas, Emperor of Russia. In the Pony 
Court we saw the pony presented with it to Her Majesty, 
and which she drives herself, seated in the carriage, with 
her children, in her garden. This pony shone like pol- 
ished ebony, and as he laid his confiding head upon my 
shoulder, I could not resist the temptation to pull a small 
lock of silken hair from his flowing foretop, to preserve as 
a remembrancer of so beautiful an animal. The Loose- 
box Court contains rooms for forage. Porters' lodges 
and dwellings for liveried servants surround the Mews, and 
they live in a style befitting the attendants on monarchy. 



VISIT TO WINDSOR CASTLE. 225 

The Queen has one hundred and fifty of the choicest 
horses in the world, and one hundred and twenty superb 
carriages in the Royal Mews. It was now time for us to 
enter the State Apartments, and so we returned to the 
Royal Palace. 

The State Apartments contain the Queen's Audi- 
ence Chamber, her Presence Chamber, the Guard Cham- 
ber, the Grand Banqueting Hall, the Ball, or Reception 
Room, the Throne Room, the Waterloo Chamber or Grand 
Dining Room, the Grand Vestibule, the State Ante-Room, 
the King's Drawing Room, the King's Council Chamber, 
the King's Closet, the Queen's Closet, the Queen's Draw- 
ing Room, and the Vandyke Room. We went through 
them all, examining the elaborate finishings, the rich fur- 
niture, the fine paintings, the splendid carvings, and the 
life-like statues. Of course I cannot describe the con- 
tents of all these rooms. I must, however, glance at 
things of special interest. The Queen's Audience Cham- 
ber, the first room we entered, has Queen Catharine up- 
on the ceiling, personified as Britannia, sitting in a trium- 
phal car, drawn by swans towards the Temple of Virtue. 
The walls are decorated with gobelin tapestry, represent- 
ing the coronation of Queen Esther, and a perfect 
portrait of Mary, Queen of Scots, which Victoria has hon- 
ored with this inscription under it — *•' She spurned at 
tyranny and treachery.'^'' The last word alludes to Eliza- 
beth— " Good Queen Bess" — who betrayed, impris- 
oned, and executed her, and whose portrait is not there in 
Victoria's Audience Chamber. 

In the Queen's Presence Chamber, is a figure of Queen 
Esther, represented as fainting previous to the King's 



226 GLIMPSES AND GATHERING 

holding out to her the sceptre of mercy. This may be 
designed to express the hesitancy of Victoria in as- 
suming the reins of government. In the grand chamber, 
a colossal bust of Lord Nelson stands on a part of the 
foremast of the Victory, with a hole in it made by a 
cannon ball at the battle of Trafalgar. The ball itself 
lies on the floor by its side. Here too, by the side of 
England's great Naval Captain, is a bust of Wellington, 
the hero of Waterloo. 

There are thirteen great windows on one side of the 
Grand Banqueting Hall, opposite to which are full size 
portraits of all the Kings and Queens of England 
from James I. to George IV. Here we are amongst 
Kings at home. At either end is a music gallery ; and 
against that at the east end is the Sovereign's Throne, 
the ascent to which is by oaken steps. Behind the chair of 
the Throne, are the shields with the armorial bearings of 
the monarch. As we sat down in the chair of state 
upon the throne, I felt to be as good a King as any of the 
men whose portraits were before me. The chair is of oak, 
richly carved, embroiderd with the garter and cross of 
St. George, the carpet of the Throne is of oak pattern, in 
small panels, with the cross in the centre. 

The Ball Room furniture is most splendid, in style with 
the room, solidly gilt and covered with crimson damask. 
The walls are heavy with the finest specimens of 
gobelin tapestry. From the ceiling four splendid chan- 
deliers are suspended, of the most beautiful design and 
workmanship. This room exceeds everything for brilhancy 
that I ever expect to see, the Throne Room is used for 
purposes of State — ^it is, probably, where the Privy Council 



VISIT TO WINDSOR CASTLE. 227 

holds its sessions. It is not large, but as rich as art and 
taste can make any thing. The Throne is like that 
already described. On the walls are full length portraits 
of Kings William IV., George III., and George lY., 
and a painting representing the Installation of the Knights 
of the Garter, by our own West. 

The Waterloo Gallery receives light from a lantern of 
ground glass extending the whole length of the room. 
Here, upon the walls, are all the likenesses in full size of 
the great characters connected with the battle of Waterloo 
— Wellington, Blucher, Alexander, Emperor of Russia, 
Francis, Emperor of Austria, Leopold, now King of Bel- 
gium, Pope Pius VII., seated in his Pontificial habit. Lord 
Castlereagh &c. &c., but Napoleon is not in the group. / 
On the Grand Staircase, at the head, is a marble 
statue of George IV. He is as handsome specimen of the 
physical man as England ever produced — it is best to 
say nothing of his moral stature. 

Most of the other rooms, which perhaps, it would be 
tedious for me to notice, are filled with pictures, portraits, 
historical paintings, and various emblems of England's 
power and glory. 

Eton College is on the other side of the Thames, oppo- 
site the Royal Castle, and the school where the young 
scions of royalty are educated. It is a magnificent edifice 
forming two quadrangles. On a marble tablet, resting 
upon the tomb of Sir Henry Wotton, once a lay-provost 
of the College, is the following curious epitaph, which 
I copy, because though coarse, it is not destitute of truth : 

"Here lies the author of this sentence — 

' An itching for dispute, is the scab of the church.' 

Seek his name elsewhere. 



228 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

The Parks connected with Windsor Castle are spacious 
and beautiful beyond description. Shakspeare, and Pope 
and other English Poets, have immortalized them in song. 
There are several of them ; but the Great Park contains 
180 acres. We hired a cab, and entering this, in front 
of the castle, rode over the long walk, three miles to 
Swan Hill, where is an equestrian bronze statue of George 
III., larger than any statue I ever saw, on a lofty pile of 
rough granite blocks. This Walk is straight as a line can 
be drawn, and is shaded by double rows of huge elm and 
oak trees on either side. Nothing can exceed it in rural 
beauty. By its side, and in the distance we saw herds of 
deer reposing or feeding on the lawns, their antlers look- 
ing like soldiers' muskets erected. There are 7000 deer 
in these Parks. 

We had not time to go on further to the Virginia 
Water, a Crystal Lake, where the Royal Family go a fish- 
ing. It is represented as a point of great attraction, and 
has a Temple over the waters, and royal boats in waiting. 

After returning, I sauntered out upon Prince Albert's 
farming grounds, and witnessed some of his experimental 
operations. I never saw such spacious and such rich 
wheat fields as he has. He takes great pride in Agricul- 
ture, and much pains in the propagation of improved 
horses, neat cattle, sheep, swine, &c. He gave me a 
sample of his new Spring Wheat — the Victoria Wheat — 
at the Fair. 

But I have neither time nor room to descant further 
upon the wonders and beauties of Windsor Castle and 
Windsor Forests, yet cannot conclude this long and hastily 



VISIT TO WINDSOR CASTLE. 229 



written letter without introducing the following from one 
of England's best Poets : — 

** Thy forests, Windsor I and thy green retreats, 
At once the monarch's and the muses' seats, 
Here hills and vales, the woodland and the plain, 
Here earth and water seem to meet again. 
Not chaos-like, together crush'd and bruis'd, 
But as the world, harmoniously confused ; 
Where order in variety we see, 

And where, though all things differ, all agree. , 

Here waving groves a chequered scene display, 
And part admit, and part exclude the day ; 
As some coy nymph her lover's warm address, 
Not quite indulges, nor can quite repress. 
There, interspersed in lawns and open glades. 
Their trees arise that shun each other's shades, 
Here in full light the russet plains extend ; 
There wrapp'd in clouds the bluest hills ascend ; 
E'en the wild heath displays her purple dyes, 
And 'midst the desert fruitful fields arise." 



POPB. 



20 



LETTER XX. 

THE QUEEN PROROGUING PARLIAMENT. 

First sight of Her Majesty — General ciuiosity to see her — "Nothing 
but a woinan" — Power as safe in female, as male hands — Queen's Way 
— Acres of people on the Park — Interview with a Policeman — Iron Dragon 
and bells announcing the approach of the Monarch — The Procession — 
Life Guards — Royal Carriage — Appearance of the Queen and Prince 
Albert — the wave of huzza ! accompanying — Queen as a revicAving otficer 
— More Imperial Horse Guards — Her entrance upon the Throne — Her 
Speech — Return to Buckingham Palace — Popularity of Victoria. 

London, August 8, I85I. 

To-day I have seen Majesty, and had my first oppor- 
tunity to look upon the Queen Victoria. It was on the 
occasion of her going in state to prorogue Parhament. 
She does not often prorogue in person. Ordinarily, she 
commands her ministers to terminate the session of the 
t\yo Houses, without her presence. But on this occasion 
she was willing to appear out in her royal robes, and in 
great regal state, for the gratification of the people from 
all parts of the earth whom she, through her ministers, had 
invited to the World's Fair, in her Metropolis. Heaven 
favored the design, and blest the occasion with one of the 
most lovely days that London ever saw. The air was 
calm and sweet, the sky was clear, the birds were merry 
in the trees, and the sun in its brightness shone upon the 
green parks and palatial edifices from which eager 
millions were to behold the mightiest monarch — a female 



THE QUEEN PROROGUINa PARLIAMENT. 231 

though she be — the mightiest monarch on the civilized 
earth. True, it is sometimes contemptuously said, that 
Victoria is " nothing but a woman," — but do we mean 
by this that beirig a " woman" she is therefore " nothing ?" 
This would be disrespectful to the whole sex, as in 
her case, it is contrary to fact. She is something. 
We may not admire the British Constitution which some- 
times gives the Empire a national Mother instead of 
a political Father, and that allows one of the softer sex to 
preside over its destinies. We may think it always safest 
and best — however the history of the world does not 
avouch the statement — to have a man's head and heart 
give character to a government. I shall not pause here 
to discuss the question, whether women as well as men, 
ought to have civil rights and powers, or to examine past 
history to see in whose hands those powers have been most 
wisely or happily administered. We must take facts as 
we find them ; and, right or wrong, agreeable to our ideas, 
or not, — the fact is, Victoria, by the Constitution of Eng- 
land, 18 the Sovereign of the British Empire — as much so 
as was Queen Elizabeth or King George. The Supreme 
power is lawfully in her hand ; and that power, the power 
of the English Throne, we all know is felt in all lands 
from the rising to the setting sun. We feel it — the 
whole world feels it. We may laugh at it, and deride 
it ; but our sneers will not alter the fact ; — there it 
stands, and stand it will, as a part of the great living 
history of our earth. 

I confess I felt to sympathize with the universal curi- 
osity that was around me that day to see a live Queen in 
her royal robes, going forth in her royal equipage to per- 
form the high prerogative of dispersing the Lords and Com- 



232 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS, 

moners of the National Legislature. And so I joined 
the living throngs that moved towards St. James' Park 
and the Queen's Palace. I expected to see " nothing but 
a human being ;" but a human being, after all, is the most 
interesting object to behold that God has made under the 
■whole heavens, especially if he has, by his providence, 
placed that one human being on the highest pinnacle of 
power and fame amongst the nations. 

The Parliament House — as I said in my last letter, 
is on the banks of the Thames, looking directly upon the 
river eastward, and separated from Westminster Abbey on 
the west, only by the old palace yard. The Queen's 
Metropolitan residence, Buckingham Palace, is perhaps 
a mile farther west, at the head of St. James' Park, 
■which, with Green Park and the Queen's Garden, consti- 
tute an open space of 183 acres of forest, lawn, lake, and 
garden — in the heart of the great city. The Queen's 
Palace looks across St. James' Park, a little over half a 
mile towards White-Hall, the Admiralty, the Horse 
Guards and other edifices that face the park this way. 
From the front of the Queen's Palace a wide avenue 
extends down the Park to an arch in the buildings last 
named, through which entrance is had to Parliament 
Street -which conducts to the Parliament House. This road 
is called the Queen's Way, is shaded by very large and 
beautiful trees, and is entered upon by no carriages but 
those of the Royal family. Her Majesty, on this occasion, 
■was to pass down this Way, through the Arch, into the 
densest part of the city, and thence to the Parliament 
House to command — she does everything in the "way of 
command — the two Houses to adjourn and go home. And 
she was to go in state — that is, with horsemen and 



THE QUEEN PROROGUING PARLIAMENT. 233 

chariots, and life-guards, and lords and ladies in 
waiting, and servants in livery — constituting one of the 
most imposing pageants ever seen in London. 

I arrived on the Park a little before two o'clock. Its 
whole area, save the Queen's Way, seemed one dense 
mass of human beings. I have reckoned people before by 
the acre ; but never till now did I survey them by the 
hundred acres at a time. I saw there was no chance for 
me to obtain a desirable position, without the assistance of 
an official. So I approached a policeman and said — 
^' Sir — can you procure me a chance to witness the cor- 
tege as it shall pass?" He rephed by pointing me to the 
hundred acres of human beings around us, and saying he 
saw no chance unless I was tall enough to look over all 
the heads of the people. I remarked that I was an 
American, (at this, he touched his hat!) that I lived 
in a country where all our ladies were queens ; but that, 
as there was only one queen in England, I desired before 
I returned, to behold her, and see if she appeared any 
better than our American queens. He thought my 
curiosity was a very proper one, but hesitated till I slipped 
a shilling into his hand ; — " please follow me" — said he, 
tapping me on the shoulder, and " by authority" using his 
baton to clear his way through the crowd, he led me up 
to the very line of the Queen's Way, where nothing could 
intercept my view from Her Majesty as she moved along. 
"There — Sir," said he — " if you will stand by me, 
you will see a woman, perhaps not like your American 
queens whom not more than one man loves — and some- 
times not even that — but a Queen whom a whole King- 
dom loves and almost adores, and, for whose protection 
millions of swords would instantly spring from their scab- 
20 



234 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

bards." I did not wish to retort upon good nature by 
suggesting the motive which might lead a well-fed official 
to " bend the pliant hinges of the knee ; and so I stood 
and waited the approach of the Monarch. 

Near the foot of the Park, at the right of the Queen's 
Way, and near a beautiful lake on which sit the graceful 
forms of swans, black and white, and other aquatic birds, 
is a huge piece of ordnance resting upon the back of a mas- 
sive dragon, which stands upon the ground, supported by 
two claws and its serpent-tail, and raises its iron wings 
above the body of the cannon. The mouth of this fifty- 
six pounder is also the angry mouth of the incensed dragon, 
whose eyes, sidelong, glare fury at every beholder. This 
ugly looking creature is enclosed by a high fence of iron 
pikes pointing every way, within which none but Royal 
Artillerymen are allowed to stand. 

Directly this hideous monster spat fire and reported 
that Her Majesty was leaving the inner court of her 
Palace and passing through the Arch of the edifice into 
the Queen's Way : — "- boom ! " — " boom ! " — boom ! " 
Simultaneously all the merry chimes of the Westminster 
Abbey bells, pealed forth the royal tune — " God save 
the Queen I " — " Boom ! " — " Boom ! " continued the 
iron dragon ; and all the bells of the city, from the Tower 
Hamlets to Regent's Park, uttered their choruses in re- 
sponse to the chimes of the old Abbey. Casting my eye 
up the Queen's Way, I could see the bright brazen shields, 
and breast plates and helmets of the Horse Guards, and 
the polished steel lances of the Life Guards on foot, gleam- 
ing in the sun's rays as they preceded the State carriages 
and escorted the Sovereign to her Throne. At the risk 
of being tedious, I will attempt to describe the procession. 



THE QUEEN PROROGUING PARLIAMENT. 235 

First came the royal Herald to proclaim the approach 
of Majesty and to clear the way. He was mounted on a 
splendid gray horse richly caparisoned and was clad in 
silk-velvet, scarlet and black, laced with gold, and wore a 
three-cornered hat. He bore in his right hand a long 
silver bugle, to which was attached a white satin banner 
with the cross of St. George upon it, which he waved as 
he advanced. Next came two horsemen abreast, mounted 
on glossy black steeds ; they were clad in red sick-velvet 
frocks trimmed with gold lace, and their swords were 
drawn. Then rode the Chief of Pohce, in citizen's dress, 
himself and horse " when unadorned, adorned the most." 
Behind him marched two guards, elegantly uniformed, 
with polished black armor flung over the shoulders and 
covering the breast and back. They were mounted on 
black horses whose harnesses were trimmed with black 
silk-velvet, and their saddles were covered with long black 
wool, out of which the polished heads of pistols appeared. 
Behind this pair was a single horseman, of the same order, 
differing only from them, by his black velvet and wool 
being bordered by white trimming. Then came the first 
State carriage, containing some of the great officers of the 
Household, and drawn by six red horses, with crimson 
silk-thread ringlets floating over the manes, and red 
rosettes below their ears. Six grooms in gray silk suits, 
striped with gold lace, walked by their sides ; one hveried 
servant rode the left forward horse, another sat on the 
box, and three with gold knapsacks and three-cornered 
hats, stood up behind the coach. The persons, male and 
female, in the coach, were also smothered in gold. There 
were six of such carriages, folloAving each other, differing 
only in the colors of the dresses on horses and servants ; 



236 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

— the last was drawn by six black horses, trimmed with 
scarlet velvet and gold, and the noblest animals I ever 
saw ; each had his richly clad groom by his side. 

Following these coaches, came twenty-five sections of 
Royal Horse Guards, four abreast, mounted on glossy black 
horses, perfectly trained to their duty. The horses were 
caparisoned with scarlet silk-velvet trimmed with gold 
lace, and had large poUshed breast-plates of glistening 
brass in shape of hearts, shielding their breast. Their 
saddles were covered with white wool, bearing each a 
bright carbine on the right side. The riders had bufi" deer 
skin breeches, polished black boots that reached above the 
knees, brass spurs, red velvet coats, covered in front and 
back with polished brazen plates, over which were rattan 
braids and white scarfs. Their caps were those of the 
ancient knights, of burnished metal, covering the head 
and most of the face ; from the top of which, long white 
horse-hair gracefully flowed down, excepting in front, to 
the shoulders. The officers' shields were engraved with 
Coats-of-Arms. They all held drawn swords. Such is 
the uniform of the Royal Horse Guards, which are quar- 
tered near the Queen's Palace and are always on duty. 
Every day both themselves and horses are drilled in the 
Park — one or two whole regiments of them. They are 
all six feet in height, chosen men. Next came a body of 
foot, called Beef-eaters, — more properly the Yeomanry 
Guard. They wore blue silk-velvet cloaks all striped with 
gold lace and wearing snug, close-fitting velvet caps, orna- 
mented, each marching with a massive spear borne in a 
perpendicular attitude. They represent the Yeomanry 
of the Nation, and show that Her Majesty is protected by 
the farmers of the kingdom. 



THE QUEEN PROROGUING PARLIAMENT. 237 

Behind these came the Queen's Chariot — like a mov- 
ing mass of gold. In exact lines upon both sides of the 
Queen, marched rows of Royal Life Guards, with gleam- 
ing spears and burnished shields — to protect the Lady- 
Sovereign of the Throne from every harm. The Chariot 
was drawn by eight cream-colored horses, mixed with 
whose manes hung large ringlets of royal purple silk cord, 
and over whose black harnesses trimmed with gold, were 
net work of purple silk, with large tassels of the same 
material reaching nearly to the ground. They also had 
large golden breastplates, and their heads were dressed 
with purple satin ribbons. The two forward horses were 
mounted by horseguards, as I have described them ; also 
the right hand horse next the carriage. Each of the 
other five horses had a groom in richest livery walking by 
his side, with his hand upon the bits. Thus was drawn 
the Royal Chariot. 

The wheels of this were striped with Vermillion and 
gold leaf, and the tires were bright copper. From the 
springs as they rose to the driver's seat and the footman's 
stand, before and behind, projected four gilded lion's 
heads. The driver's box was cushioned with richest 
purple velvet, and curtains of the same hung from it to 
the lion's heads, trimmed with gold. The body of the 
Chariot appeared like one mass of gold, with the Royal 
Arms of England painted on the panels of the side doors. 
The top rose to a point, on which was a golden Crown 
hugged by two winged cherubs. The curtains of the 
Chariot were drawn, and exposed the Queen on the back 
seat, with Prince Albert on her left ; and in front of her 
sat the Duchess of Sutherland, Mistress of the Robes ; 



238 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

and opposite to him, the Duke of , Master of the 

Horse. 

Yietoria was clad in dove-colored satin. Her head was 
bare, except as it was crowned with a coronal of sparkling 
diamonds embedded in a wreath of flowers. Her hair is 
light ; in stature she is not tall ; her cheeks are full and 
ruddy ; her eyes are large and blue, and her lips express 
firmness and resolution. Her smile is graceful and 
pleasant. She would not be called handsome, till you 
catch her eye, which beams kindness, and witness the 
smile upon her lips ; — you then become interested in her 
looks as a sensible, resolute, and good-hearted woman. 
Prince Albert would be called a handsome man. He is 
rather tall, and somewhat spare ; his eyes are German, 
and he wears a mustache on the upper lip, which, I think, 
does not add to his beauty. He wore the insignia of his 
ofiice as Field Marshal of the Kingdom, consisting of a 
gold star and some other devices on a coat of blue. The 
Duchess of Sutherland, in the same carriage, appeared to 
us a handsomer woman than the Queen, and as well clad 
— all except the royal head dress. The Master of the 
Horse was an elderly man, of grave aspect. 

As the Queen's carriage moved slowly down the Park, 
the cheers from the multitudes arising on either side, ac- 
companied her. When Her Majesty reached the point 
where I stood, she was within a few feet of me, and I 
could see her very plainly. The " huzza ! " went up from 
our neighborhood, and she and Prince Albert answered by 
bowing, first to one side, then to the other. The Queen, 
I must say, has cultivated court manners with success ; 
for never did I see a female who understood the art of 
looking the Queen and bowing and smiling with so much 



THE QUEEN PROROGUING PARLIAMENT. 239 

grace and dignity as she. She also had the art, which all 
reviewing officers cultivate, as a military desideratum, of 
catching the eye of every person on the line of march. 
Every person where I stood really thought the Queen 
looked directly at and bowed personally to himself — at 
least, so direct did it seem in my case, that I should have 
reproached myself as wanting in Yankee good manners, if 
I had not, as I did, bow very respectfully to her as she 
saluted the line on our side of the Way. y^ 

Following the Royal Carriage, was another company, 
perhaps a full regiment, of those incomparably beautiful 
Imperial Horse Guards glittering in gold and polished 
brass and steel all over. Yet another of different uniform, 
rode behind them, bringing up the rear. The whole pro- 
cession extended about half a mile. There was no band 
— no music — none but what the merry chimes of the 
Abbey made. 

One might suppose from the gold lace, and epaulettes, 
and feathers, that the procession consisted of the highest 
functionaries of the Government next to the Sovereig-n ; 
not so. The Ministers and Peers, Commoners, &c., were 
all in Parhament, waiting the Queen's arrival. All this 
display that moved with her, were the servants of her 
household — her Lords in Waiting, and Ladies in Waiting, 
and certain Herald Officers and Court Servants. The 
Military Guards were for protection. In this country, if 
the President rides out, we think we must put as many 
Vice Presidents, and Cabinet Ministers, and Senators, and 
Judges, and Generals, and Commodores into the lot with 
him as possible — thus tapering off the show to a penny 
whistle. 



240 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

When the Queen reached the Victoria Tower of the Par- 
liament House, a great flourish of trumpets announced her 
approach to the Legislature. She was conducted up the 
royal stair-case to her robing room, where she was 
dressed for the Throne. In due time she was ushered 
into the House of Lords, accompanied by the Duke of 
Wellington bearing the sword of State, the Marquis of 
Lansdowne bearing the Crown, and the Marquis of Win- 
chester bearing the Cup of Maintenance. She was con- 
ducted to the Throne, and bowed to the Peers. Prince 
Albert was seated at her left, Lord Wellington at her 
right. The Speaker then presented Her Majesty the bills 
passed at the sessions and asked her royal assent. This 
being granted, the Lord Chancellor approached the 
Throne, and kneeling in her presence, offered her the 
speech which she read in a clear, distinct, commanding 
voice, in the course of which she alluded to the gathering 
of the nations at the World's Fair and expressed the hope 
that its influence might be felt in promoting the peace of 
the nations. 

The Queen returned to Buckingham Palace in the 
same order in which she had proceeded to the Parhament. 
There were as many people to see her as before. As she 
passed, I noticed her engaged very earnestly in conversa- 
tion with the Duchess of Sutherland, who occupied the 
front seat opposite to her in the carriage. 

Victoria is said to be a well educated woman, of good 
sense and a pure heart. The power of her example is 
great, and that is always on the side of the masses, and 
in favor of virtue and good order. She is very popular 
in England. It is said that when she found, in the order 
of Providence, she must ascend the throne, and become 



THE QUEEN PROROGUING PARLIAMENT. 241 

Queen of the Empire, she wept like a child ; she dreaded 
the responsibilities of so exalted a station. But she could 
not avoid it. She ascended the throne with a determina- 
tion to conduct herself in the fear of God and for the good 
of her subjects, and hitherto she has been able to fulfil her 
honorable intentions. She is in her thirty-third year, and 
is now the mother of seven children. 

I have, in the foregoing, described the appearance of 
the Queen in public. How far such display is agreeable 
to her, I know not, but have been told she greatly prefers 
the quiet comfort of domestic and social life with her chil- 
dren and friends. She is said to be a fond and faithful 
mother, and an excellent neighbor, especially amongst the 
the poor. As the Sovereign of the empire, however, she 
must carry out the Court forms and ceremonies. This she 
can do as well as Elizabeth, or Anne, or Mary before her, 
ever did. In this case, as I have said, she was induced 
to appear out of respect to the natural curiosity of the 
great numbers of people from other nations, who had, by 
the invitation of herself and her royal consort come to 
London to visit the Great Exhibition, and see the other 
wonders of the metropolis, and who might desire to see 
and be saluted by the Queen before their return home. 
21 



LETTER XXI 



THE THAMES TUNNEL. 



Bridges across the Thames — Proportion of the City below London Bridge — 
Necessity of some Thoroughfare across the River, below the Bridges — 
Sir I. Brunei's Project — Operation of the Shield — Foot People alone 
can pass through the Tunnel — Toll-gatherer's Room — Descent into the 
Shalt— Objects on the Platforms — Rotunda — Arches of the Tunnel — 
Fancy and Toy Shops — Gas Lights — Number of Visitors. 



London, August 9, I85I. 

To cross a river over the water on a bridge, is a very 
common thing ; and we think little of it, unless it be to 
notice the skill displayed in the structure, or wonder at 
its cost as we pass along ; but to cross a river under the 
water's bed, through a hole cut from one shore to the oth- 
er — deep, navigable waters, at whose bottom huge 
anchors hold floating ships, or on whose surface they 
proudly sail, deeply laden with the treasures brought 
from distant continents — this is a different thing, and 
altogether more rare, withal. 

The world has heard of the Thames Tunnel. It is, 
indeed, regarded as the eighth wonder of the world. For 
years our newspapers in America have contained accounts 
of it, and yet our people hardly seem to have a right idea 
of it. This afternoon I have visited and passed through 



THE THAJ^IES TUNNEL. 243 

that wonderful structure. I was somewliat disappointed 
in it, and therefore propose, before I conclude this letter, 
to attempt a brief description of it. 

Let it first be remarked that " London Bridge" crosses 
the river in just about the centre of the city. The 
wharves and docks, including Greenwich and the East 
India Docks, extend some half a dozen miles below this 
bridge, which is the lowest one on the river ; and there 
are eight bridges crossing it within five miles, in the upper 
part of the city. Two others are projected, within th e 
same space, and will be built in due time. All these 
thoroughfares are necessary to connect the parts of th e 
city on the opposite sides of the Thames ; Trad they are 
built so high that steamers without masts, and other ves- 
sels with masts made to fall backward as they enter the 
arches, may pass up and down at pleasure. These 
bridges are most substantial and costly structures, with 
paved carriage-ways, marble sidewalks, and hewn granite 
balusters railed and capped, with occasional recesses for 
stone seats ; and staircases descending to piers, at which 
steamers and boats receive passengers. These bridges 
cost about five millions of dollars each. Below, as far as 
can be seen, the river and docks are filled with sailing 
vessels, war-ships, and steamers, holding intercourse with 
all parts of the world. Such a tide of life as is beheld 
upon the Thames, from any one of the London bridges, is 
to be seen no where else on all the face of the earth. It 
is the aquatic part of London, and as well worth seeing as 
the portions on terra firma. 

For more than fifty years, various plans have been pro- 
jected for gaining some sort of pontal accommodation 
between the opposite parts of the city below London 



244 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Bridge, without interfering -with, or being impeded hy^ 
the countless water-crafts upon the bosom of the river. 
Ferries were out of the question. So great is the passage 
of vessels &c., that a ferry boat could seldom get across 
without great risk and an insufferable delay. At last, 
Sir Isambert Erunel projected a scheme for a subaqueous 
passage — a tunnel under the bed of the river, about a 
mile and a half below London Bridge, connecting the two 
parts of the city known as Wapping on the north side, 
and Eotherhithe on the south side of the Thames. The 
work was commenced in 1825, by sinking a shaft on the 
Rotherhithe^ide, fifty feet in diameter, and eighty feet 
deep. This was made water-tight all the way, excepting 
at the bottom, towards the river, where an opening was 
left, large enough to receive a " shield," or sort of worm- 
excavator, that would eat a horizontal track as it passed 
under the bed of the river, of thirty-eight feet wide by 
twenty-two feet high, allowing the workmen to carry off 
the dirt as fast as it ate its way into the earth. 

It is said that Brunei took his idea of this shield, in the 
following manner. He was sitting on an old log by the 
roadside one day, in a " brown study " as to how he could 
contrive to bore a hole under the river. Beneath him he 
heard a worm gnawing into the log, and noticed the chips 
that it discharged from the hole it was cutting. He 
seized his jacknife, dug out the worm, examined his jaws, 
and from them learned how to make a similar machine to 
bore under the Thames with. 

The great hole, or tunnel, left behind the shield as it 
advanced, was lined and protected by two arches in ma- 
sonry, which kept the earth from filling in, or the wate^ 
from penetrating. Thus, in eighteen years, during which 



THE THAMES TUNNEL. 245 

time operations were suspended seven years, the shield 
worked its way through to Wapping, where a correspond- 
ing shaft had been sunk to come out of, and leaving 
the Thames Tunnel finished behind it. This, as I have 
said, is in two arches of solid and beautiful masonry, ex- 
tending from one side of the river to the other, a distance 
of 1290 feet. I do not know the depth of the top of the 
Tunnel below the bottom of the river, but should judge 
that from the surface of the river at high water where the 
ships ride at anchor, to the vaults of the Tunnel beneath, 
might be forty or fifty feet. 

J^othing can pass through the Tunnel, but as it first de- 
scends one of these shafts — consequently,*" no hoi^es or 
carriages can, as yet, travel in it. It is used by pedes- 
trians altogether. Indeed, it is more of a curiosity-shop 
than a passage-way ; and of those who enter it, there are 
many more visitors than passengers. 

Let us go into it and see what is there. Supposing 
ourselves to he on the northern side of the river, let us 
pass from the old Tower of London, down by and amongst 
the St. Katharine and London Docks^ to Wapping, 
Amongst the blocks of buildings that separate the street 
from the river, we notice an octagonal edifice of marble. 
We enter by one of several great doors, and find ourselves 
in a rotunda of fifty feet diameter, and the floor laid in 
mosaic work of blue and white marble. The walls are 
stuccoed, around which are stands for the sale of papers, 
pamphlets, books, confectionery, beer, &c. A sort of 
watch-house stands on the side of the rotunda next the 
river, in which is a fat publican, or tax gatherer. Before 
him is a brass turnstile, through which you are permitted 
21* 



GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

to pa^, on paying him a penny, and, entering a door, you 
begin to descend the shaft, by a flight of very long marble 
steps that descend to a wide platform, from which the next 
series of steps descends in an opposite direction. The 
walls of the shaft are circular, finished in stucco, and hung 
with paintings and other curious objects. You halt a few 
moments on the first platform and listen to the notes of a 
huge organ that occupies a part of it, discoursing excellent 
music. 

You resume your downward journey till you reach the 
next story, or marble platform, where you find other ob- 
jects of curiosity to engage your attention whilst you stop 
to rest. And thus you go down — down — to the bottom 
of the shaft eighty feet ; the walls meanwhile, being stud- 
ded with pictures, statues, or figures in plaster, &c. 
Arrived at the bottom, you find yourself in a rotunda cor- 
responding to that you entered from the street, a round 
room, with marble floor, fifty feet in diameter. There are 
alcoves near the walls in which are all sorts of contrivan- 
ces to get your money, from Egyptian necromancers and 
fortune-tellers'^to dancing monkeys. The room is lighted 
with gas, and is brilliant. * Now look into the Thames 
Tunnel before you. It consists of two beautiful Arches, 
extending to the opposite side of the river. These Arches 
contain each a roadsted, fourteen feet wide and twenty- 
two feet high, and pathways for pedestrians, three feet 
wide. The Tunnel appears to be well ventilated, as the 
air seemed neither damp nor close. The partition between 
these Arches, running the whole length of the Tunnel, is 
put into transverse arches, leading through from, one road- 
sted to the other. There may be fifty of them in all, and 



I 



THE THAMES TUNNEL. 247 

these are finished into fancy and toy shops in the richest 
manner — with polished marble counters, tapestry linings, 
gilded shelves, and mirrors that make everything appear 
double. Ladies, in fashionable dresses and with smiling 
faces, wait within and allow no gentleman to pass without 
giving him an opportunity to^ purchase some pretty thing 
to carry home as a remembrancer of the Thames Tunnel. 
The Arches are hghted with gas burners, that make it as 
bright as the sun ; and the avenues are always crowded 
■with a moving throng of men, women and children, exam- 
ining the structure of the Tunnel, or inspecting the fancy 
wares, toys, &c., displayed by the arch-looking girls of 
these arches. 

As you stand upon the floor of this subterranean rotunda, 
and look into and through these illuminated arches, alive 
■with human beings, talking, laughing, wondering and 
trading, you see across the river to the Rotherhithe side, 
where the terminus appears greatly diminished, and the 
men and women seem lilliputian. The Tunnel is laid in 
beautiful stone masonry, finished with marble entablatures, 
cornices, &c., and on the whole is the most splendid 
Arcade or series of toy shops, the world ever saw. It is 
impossible to pass through without purchasing some curi- 
osity. Most of the articles are labelled — "Bought in 
the Thames Tunnel" — "a present from the Thames 
Tunnel." I purchased several of these souvenirs, amongst 
■which was a china kaleidoscope, that afibrds a good per- 
spective of the Tunnel, worth preserving ; also, a shoe 
made out of the clay taken from the Tunnel whilst being 
excavated ; an ivory hour-glass, emblem of man's transi- 
tory life ; a gutta percha "nkstand, out of which to draw 



248 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

editorial delineations after I return home, and several 
other little matters with which to gratify my little friends. 
No one goes to London without visiting the Tunnel ; and 
few that visit it go merely for the purpose of crossing the 
river. The number of visitors annually, since the struc- 
ture was completed in 1843, has averaged nearly two 
millions. The cost of the Tunnel was about $2,200,000. 
During its construction, the river burst through its bed 
into it five times, drowning numbers of the workmen. It 
is now regarded as safe. I went into it two or three 
times. There is a plan on foot — I know not what it is — 
by which carriages can have access ; and it is computed 
that it may thus be opened to the streets for about a mil- 
lion of dollars more. Even this sum, large as it is, added 
to the original cost of more than two other millions, would 
make the whole cost but about halt* the expense of either 
of the bridges thrown over the river. But they stand for 
no expense in London ; what the city wants done, is done 
— no matter what the cost is. London is the head-quar- 
ters of the wealth of the commercial world, and its money 
power is commensurate to anything that human genius can 
accomplish. They have ship-docks in the city that re- 
quired the removal of about three hundred acres of stores 
and houses, to make room for these inland basins, and if 
they wish to enlarge a park, other acres of warehouses and 
palaces must give way to make a breathing place for the 
people. They build for posterity, we for the present. 
Herein is some difference — a difference that instantly 
strikes the stranger from America, in England. There a 
man hardly dares set out a tree, lest somebody who comes 
after him might eat of its fruit. We are too much for the 



THE THAMES TUNNEL. 249 

present and for ourselves alone. There is a grave politi- 
cal objection, it is true, to the English laws of entail, nev- 
ertheless thej are founded on a system that looks to the 
benefit of future generations, and in this point of view the 
policy is entitled to some consideration, even from Repub- 
licans. 



LETTER XXII. 

SECOND SUNDAY IN LONDON. 

Boroughs of London — Sou thwark —First Independent Church in the 
World— Twin Sister of the New Enghand Plymouth church— Quiet of 
London on Sunday — Ride to London Bridge— Chapel on Union Street — 
The minister, congregation and services — Interview with Mr. Wadding- 
ton and his Elders— Brown's School Room — Baxter's Prison — Bishop 
Bonner's seat of Persecution— Bunhill-fields Burying Ground— Jeremy 
White, Dr. Owen, Dr. Watts, John Bunyan, Daniel De Foe, or Robin- 
son Crusoe — Inscription on Watts' Tablet — Inscription on Bunyan's 
grave — Dame Mary Page — Methodist church yard — Graves of Wesley 
and Clarke — Inscriptions. 

Sunday Evening, London, August 10, 1851. 

I spent three Sundays and one Sabbath in London, on 
each of which, hke a true Puritan, I endeavored to im- 
prove its sacred hours in the worship of God. The Sun- 
days were improved amongst modern Christians ; the Sab- 
baths amongst the ancient people of God, the Israehtes, 
in the new Synagogue, where the Rothschilds are Rabbis. 
I must write something in relation to my experiences on 
each of those days. 

In former letters I have given an account of my visits 
to the Magdalen Asylum, to an Episcopal Church, and to 
the Ragged School, on my first Sunday in London. If 
my readers will allow me, I propose in this letter to show 
how I passsed my next Sunday. 

Old London — the Roman city — is on the north side 
of the Thames. Over the walls, on the same side, also 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LONDON. 251 

on the south side of the river, the mass of edifices and 
streets, that now constitute the modern London, are 
divided into Boroughs, each with a sort of municipahtj, 
but all, I believe, under the Lord Mayor ; such as South- 
wark, Westminster, Finsbury, Lambeth, the Tower Ham- 
lets, Marylebone, &c. In Southwark is the first formed, 
and therefore the oldest, Independent or Congregational 
church in London — in England — in the World. It was 
formed by Brown the Brownist, and afterwards was under 
the care of the excellent Robinson, who, amidst the per- 
secutions carried on against him by the intolerant Epis- 
copahans, afterwards sought refuge from oppression by 
flying with his church to Holland. One half of this 
church ultimately emigrated to America, landing in Ply- 
mouth ; the other half returned to London, where it yet 
exists. It is therefore, the twin sister of our Plymouth 
church, and as such can but be an object of interest to 
one of its New England descendants visiting the mother 
country. Before we left home, I noticed in the Christian 
Register, the Unitarian paper of Boston, an appeal to the 
sister churches of America by Rev. Mr. Waddington, 
the pastor, in behalf of this Southwark Church, which pro- 
poses to erect a new edifice, or monumental Church, in which 
may be gathered the various mementos of the rise and 
early history of church independency ; and when in Lon- 
don I desired to visit it, form an acquaintance with its 
minister and people, and examine its old records. Ac- 
cordingly I resolved to attend meeting there in the fore- 
noon of my second Sunday in the Metropolis. 

From our boarding house, which was on the north side 
of the river, to Southwark, on the south side, is a dis- 
tance of some three or four miles ; and in passing thither 



252 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

we must take London Bridge on our way. The day was 
pleasant, all the stores, shops and public business pla- 
ces were closed, and everything had the appearance of 
as much order, neatness and quiet amongst the people 
as are the boast of Boston upon a holy Sabbath morn. 
Some omnibuses indeed, were moving along the great 
thoroughfares, but these are as necessary as private car- 
riages to convey people to their chosen places of worship. 
I took an omnibus on the City Road, and rode in it to 
London Bridge, the end of its route. Crossing that on 
foot, amidst a multitude of people who were also upon it, 
the view of the river above and below, and of the immense 
city on both sides, was grand and beautiful. The pride 
and power of English fashion, have kept even this seed- 
church of liberty obscure ; for, after arriving on the 
Southwark side of the river, I could not, for a long time, 
find any one who was able to direct me to the object of 
my pursuit. At length, by the assistance of a police 
officer, I was conducted to an out-of-the way court or lane, 
in Union street, near a great Brewery, where I found an 
ancient brick edifice, of olden style, which the sexton at 
the door assured me was the First Independent Church in 
England. He politely conducted me to a side pew at the 
right of the pulpit, and I found myself in the very house 
whose walls have echoed the voices of Watts and Bunyan 
and Baxter. The house is not large. It has galleries on 
three sides, the walls of which are oaken panels varnished ; 
the pews are in the old style, and the pulpit is of black 
walnut, perched high above the heads of the people, with 
a window in the rear, and a sounding-board over the 
speaker. Directly in front of the pulpit is a large square 
pew, with a table in the centre, on which were several 



i 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LONDON. 253 

hymn and music books. At the head of this table sat a 
kindlj-looking clerk, in an arm-chair directly under the 
pulpit, and the benches upon the sides of the pew Nvere 
occupied by several young men, who thus sat at the 
table with the books before them. 

The house was tolerably well filled, above and below ; and 
as fashion had not brought the congregation thither, I was 
satisfied from their appearance that they had come to 
worship and learn, rather than to see and be seen. I 
never saw a congregation more silent, orderly and atten- 
tive. Even the young persons and children looked 
reverent and happy. I felt to sympathize with the spirit 
of the meeting. As each person, old or young, entered 
the house, he proceeded quietly to his seat, and leaned 
forward with his hands covering his eyes for a few 
moments, invoking the divine presence and blessing upon 
the occasion. The minister, Rev. Mr. Waddington, was, 
in the pulpit, dressed with a surphce and bands. He was 
a tall, very handsome man, about forty years of age, with 
a high forehead, black hair and eyes, and a countenance 
indicating good sense and benignity. 

The service was commenced by the minister reading a 
Hymn. The Clerk under the pulpit, holding a wooden 
pitch-pipe in his hand, pitched the tune ; the young men 
surrounding him united their voices with his, and the con- 
gregation throughout the house joined in this part of the 
devotions. It was congregational singing, and it seemed 
to me as if every one present had learned his or her duty, 
and sung. The house was full of the voice of praise. 
Mr. W. then read the Scripture?, after which he offered 
a most appropriate prayer, earnest and chaste, in 
22 



254 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

the course of which, I noticed, he alluded to the visit 
his church had enjoyed the previous Sunday, of several 
American clergymen. He then read a second Hymn, 
which was sung as before, congregationally. After this 
the Clerk read several notices. Mr. Waddington's sermon 
was from Ezekiel i. 12, " And they went every one straight 
forward ; whither the spirit was to go they went ; and they 
turned not when they went." The discourse was ingeni- 
ous, unsectarian and well delivered. I have seldom heard 
a more talented or elegant speaker. His subject was the 
duty of following the spirit of truth wherever it should 
lead the way ; — to go " straight forward," making no 
zig-zag or crooked tracks ; — these were foxy signs of 
craft and error ; — but to " turn not'' out of the direct 
path that leads to higher discoveries. It was worthy the 
pastor of the Robinson church. The blessed influence of 
that good man remains in England and America. He 
was a chosen vessel of God. I never should have 
known, and do not know now, what Mr. Waddington's 
peculiar sentiments are — only that he claims to be evan- 
gelical, as I also do. But there was nothing sectarian in 
his sermon or his prayers. He talked hke a Christian, 
and that was enough for me ; — so I could fellowship him 
and unite in the worship of the God of our common 
Fathers. I felt peculiar sensations of reverent homage and 
praise in that house. Seldom did I ever enjoy a more 
spiritual meeting. After sermon, Mr. W. offered ap- 
propriate thanks to God, in which he prayed for the Queen, 
and blessed God that she instructed all her children in the 
duty of charity. He read another Hymn, in singing 
which his Clerk led the music of the whole congregation, 
and the meeting was dismissed. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LONDON. 255 

The service being closed, I halted till he descended 
from the desk and introduced mjself to him as a clergy- 
man from America, who felt desirous of forming a better 
acquaintance with the history of his church. He was 
glad to receive me, and invited me through a door in the 
rear of his pulpit into an ample study-room, where 
were chairs, tables, stationery, a library, &c. Several of 
his leading church-members were also invited in to be in- 
troduced to us. They were educated, and seemed humble 
and godly men. In this room he showed me the ancient 
records of that venerable church, and gave me a souvenir 
that I shall always prize very highly . In return I gave him 
a piece of Forefather's Rock, and a copy of the Christian 
Register containing his appeal to the American churches. 
He expressed so e surprise and grief that none of the 
sister churches in the United States had remembered the 
old Southwark Church in its need, and in its design to 
erect a monumental church for the preservation of the 
mementos of common interest to the cause of religious 
liberty on both sides of the Atlantic ; but informed us 
that in England about XIOOO had been contributed to 
that object, and the church would probably be built. Our 
interview was most cordial and interesting. 

After spending some time thus in his private vestry, he 
walked with me about that part of the city, and pointed 
out the house where Brown, the father of the Brownists, 
taught his school, the prison where Baxter was confined, 
and the church where Bonner presided when the Puritans 
were sentenced to banishment and death. It is now 
known as St. Savior's Church, and is probably the most 
splendid church in London — hardly inferior to St. Paul's. 
St. Savior's Church ? What did Christ ever have to do 



256 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

in that church, but by his spirit to rebuke the spirit of 
persecution that made its seat there ? The walls of it are 
of broken flint stone. Under the window where Bonner 
sat, I picked up a piece of glass, through which, perhaps, 
the light of heaven shone when that cruel tyrant decreed 
his acts of bloody persecution. Mr. Waddington con- 
ducted me to London Bridge, on the way to which he 
took me into a by-lane, where, knocking at the door, he 
summoned a lame man, whom he directed to go and bring 
one of his books, with his own name written in it. He 
did so ; and he presented it to me. It was entitled " The 
Life of a Vagrant,'' and, depicts the terrible history of a 
London outcast, from childhood to a manhood of dreadful 
infamy. He is now a member of Mr. W.'s church — a 
reformed man, and an example of the power of religion. 
I shall carry the book home and shall long keep it as a 
memorial of Mr. W. and one of his converts. 

So much for the forenoon of my second Sunday in Lon- 
don. The remainder of this Letter will relate to the 
scenes of the afternoon. 

In the time of the Great Plague in London, when also, 
a greater plague, in the form of persecution against Dis- 
senters, afflicted the people, the burying-grounds within 
the old city were too sacred to contain the bodies of 
Puritans, and a piece of land back of the city, embracing 
perhaps six or eight acres, was procured as a new place of 
interment in which the persecuted could fine a resting 
place in death. This was a field on an elevated territory 
called Bunhill. It is now known as Bunhill Field's bury- 
ing-ground. It is upon the great City Road leading back 
from the city northward. It was then a " Road ; " now 
it is one of the densest streets for miles in London ; for 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LONDON. 25T 

the citj has extended itself from the old Eoman walls in 
all directions to a very great distance. Bunhill Field is 
not far without the Wall, on the left hand side of the 
street, or City Road, as you go towards the country north- 
wards. It seems somewhat like one of the parks which 
affords such frequent openings in every part of London. 
There are not, however, many trees in it, and but little 
shrubbery. It is enclosed by a high brick wall, capped 
with a tiled roof for the shedding of water, and has mid- 
way, on the street, a wide, iron-grated double gate through 
which, when opened, carriages may pass. At the South 
corner bordering upon the street, is a neat brick dwelling 
house, belonging to the Field, occupied by the Sexton, 
who has charge of the yard. No one can enter but by 
his permission, and as he unlocks a small gate near his 
house. 

In this burying ground, repose the bodies of many 
of the Puritan ancestors of New England, amongst whom 
are many who suffered persecution and martyrdom for 
conscience' sake. John Rogers was burnt hear by ; but 
his body, of course, became ashes before it could find a 
resting place amongst his more fortunate cotemporaries. 
Here are the mortal remains of Rev. Jeremy White, the 
Chaplain of Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell, himself, may 
have been buried here ; but after the Restoration, under 
Charles II., his old, heretical body was dug up, and Epis- 
copalianism had its revenge upon him by hanging his bones 
on a tree as food for crows. Here, too, rests the body of 
the celebrated John Bunyan, author of the Pilgrim's 
Progress ; also of Dr. Isaac Watts, the most Christian 
author of our most Christian poetry ; also Rev. Dr. Owen, 
22* 



258 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

one of the ablest philosophical Calvinists ; and here also 
is the body of Daniel De Foe, the author of Robinson 
Crusoe. Indeed, the field is full of the most interesting 
characters. It is a crowded citj of the Dead. And it 
has a miniature city-like appearance — in its avenues, 
walks, courts, tablets, monuments, tombs, &c. 

I have spoken of the forenoon. Mr. Waddington, after 
showing us several of the Puritan antiquities, left us 
on London Bridge. Having crossed to the London side, 
I walked, perhaps a couple of miles, back from the river 
on the City Road and reached Bunhill Field burying 
ground at 2 1-2 o'clock P. M. The Sexton giving me 
admission, I felt disposed to worship amongst our ancestors 
in the great congregation of the dead, rather than in any 
church of the living. I entered it alone. The bright 
sun, in the light of which the once animated thousands 
beneath our feet rejoiced in their day, shone upon me 
as the only living and moving thing amidst that city of 
sepulchres. It was a holy hour. The air was calm and 
soft, and even the Great City was still and quiet. It 
was where Hervey might have held his Meditations; and 
I was there to meditate. How did the history of the 
past come before me ! What a present was there, where 
I then stood — in the midst of London — the metropolis 
of England — the Queen Empire of all Europe and the 
World. What a voice of prophecy came up from the 
tombs, uttering strange hopes and fears for the destiny of 
a race of liberty-loving men, whose ancestry reposes 
here, — an ancestry, whose children now are one half in 
the motherland, and the other in far-off America. I felt 
my very childhood. I held communion with the spirits 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LONDON, 259 

of departed fathers. I remembered the cradle hymns 
taught me by a sainted mother ; the holy words of Watts' 
poetry filled my heart and sought utterance over the sleep- 
ing body of its Author. I asked the Sexton to conduct me 
to the grave of Watts. He pointed to a small mast 
erected in the northern part of the Burying Field, which 
was painted in alternate rings of black and white. It 
stood at the head of Watts' grave, and was placed there to 
enable visitors most readily to find the spot where he lies. 
His monument is an oblong frame of stone panel work, 
with a marble slab resting upon the top. I approached 
the head of the grave, and leaning upon the tablet reflect- 
ed, with sensations peculiar to the place, that there the 
weeping family of Dr. Watts, his own wife and children, 
his neighbors and brethren and friends, gathered and wept, 
as lowly beneath my feet they laid the venerable head of 
that man who said — 

"Princes ! this clay must be your beds, 

In spite of all your towers ; — 
Ye tall ye wise, ye reverend heads 
Must lie, as low as ours." 

His head indeed lies low — much lower than the heads 
of some of the Sovereigns of England whose monuments 
I visited a few days ago in Westminster Abbey and in St. 
George's Chapel at Windsor Castle ; but his fame is 
higher and shall live as long as the fervor of Christian 
devotion shall sanctify the hearts of men. I could but 
feel as if that was a sacred place, and a suitable one — 
away as I was from country and home — alone, unseen 
by the world, to renew resolutions of attachment to the 
cause of truth and . righteousness ;^ and to offer up a 
prayer to God for each remembered friend in a far dis-. 



260 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

tant home. I remembered the days of childhood when 
a mother's voice taught me to say and to sing 

" His own soft hand shall wipe the tears 

From every weeping eye ; 
And pains and groans and griefs and fears, 

And death itself shall die. 

I knew and felt that Dr. Watts was inspired by God's 
own truths when he composed that verse, and blessed God 
that he had ever given it to the world. I repeated it in 
fervency of spirit. Nor was this all. It seemed as if all 
I once knew of Watts' poetry came fresh to mind. Might 
it not be that the author himself was in spirit holding fel- 
lowship with my spirit, and inciting it to the devotional 
frame it was in ? Still resting upon the tablet, I took out 
my pencil and transcribed the following lines, which are 
chiselled on the dark marble or freestone slab. 

" Isaac Watts, D. D. 

Pastor of a church of Christ in London ; successor to the Rev. Mr, Joseph 
Carlyll, Dr. John Owen, Mr David Clarkson, and Dr. Isaac Chauncey. 
After fifty years of feeble labors in the Gospel, interrupted by four years 
of tiresome sickness, he was at last dismissed to rest, Nov. 25, A. D. 
1748; ^T. 75. 

II. Cor., chap, v., verse 8. 'Absent from the body, but present with the 
Lord.' Col. chap, iii., verse 4. ' When Christ who is our life shall ap- 
pear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.' " 

hi tino Jesu omnia. 

Within this tomb are also deposited the remains of Sarah Brackston, sis- 
ter to the llev. Dr. Isaac Watts, Obit. 13th April, 1756. 

Ihis monument was erected by Sir John Hartopp, Bart., and Dame Mary 
Abney. 

Other graves are very near that of Dr. Watts. I was cu- 
rious to gather up their names — they are such as are fa- 
miUar ones in New England, — Cooper, Furness, Holman, 
Dickson, Search, Pitts, Taylor. Just at his right is a 
stone erected to the memory of Joseph Wilson, printer, 
and superintendent of the Times newspaper. 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LONDON. 261 

The Sexton having opened the great gate, a funeral pro- 
cession entered, and passing along the wide avenue near 
me, I saw by the sable weeds, and the tears of the living 
that followed the hearse of the dead, that human afflictions 
are the same everywhere. A crowd having followed the 
procession, that dispersed amongst the tombs, I moved to 
another part of the Burying-Field, and stood at the grave 
of John Bunyan, equal in the religious element to what 
Shakspeare was in the poetic. Bunyan reposes under a 
sort of Grecian tablet of white stone. It appears to have 
been there long before Bunyan died, and to be covered 
with inscriptions now defaced by time. I suppose it was 
the tomb of some Joseph of Arimathea, who begged the 
body of this Christian dramatist, and had it placed along 
with his own family. On one side a slab is let into the 
tablet, which being more modern, contains the only words 
I could read. They are as follows : 

" Mr. John Bunyan. 

Author of 

The Pilgrim's Progress ; 

Obt. 31st Aug., 1688, 

^T 60." 

That is all. The mention of one of his Works is enough 
to immortalize him, without titles or other words of enco- 
mium. 

I thought of the Christian Pilgrim's Progress through 
the Wicket gate, up the hill Difficulty, amongst the En- 
chanted Mountains, through Vanity Fair and the Valley 
of the Shadow of Death, towards the Celestial City, and 
prayed that we all in this enlightened age, might make 
even a better progress in reality than was foreshadowed 



262 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

by the thrilling allegory of that wonderful man, John Bun- 
yan, the Bedford tinker. 

I gathered a broken fragment of Bunyan's monument as 
a souvenir. Whilst I stood here, many visitors, male and 
female, assembled around the grave, and one man began 
to eulogize Bunyan, and preach to the bystanders. I 
judged him intoxicated, and repaired again to the grave of 
Watts. In a few minutes he was there with book in hand, 
repeating Watts' Hymns, shedding tears, and warning 
sinners. I was pained to see such a man in such a place. 
He had evidently caught his spirit from a neighboring gin- 
palace. 

The grave of Daniel DeFoe I could not find, nor did I 
succeed in ascertaining the spot where Jeremy White lies. 
In searching, I came across a monumental tomb, in the 
shape of a stone house, on one side of which was a singu- 
lar inscription. It reads as follows : 

" Here lieth Dame Mary Page, 

Relict of Sir Francis Page : 

She departed this life March 21, 1723, 

in. the 50th year of her age. 

In sixty-seven months she was tapped sixty-six times ; had taken away 
two hundred and forty-six gallons of water, without ever repining at her 
case or fearing the operation." 

Leaving this vast city of the dead, I passed out of the 
great gate, and crossed the street to a yard in front of the 
Methodist Chapel. This is a small and rather inferior 
brick edifice, where both Rev. John Wesley and Dr. Adam 
Clarke have preached. In the rear of this church is a 
small burying-ground, which I entered. Near the centre, 
I found the grave of Wesley. Upon it is a stone shaft, 
rising from a plinth painted dun color, resting upon a gran- 
ite base. An iron fence surrounds it, ten feet long by 



SECOND SUNDAY IN LONDON. 263 

eight feet wide. I copied from the four sides, the follow- 
ing inscriptions. 

North. 

To the Memory of 

The venerable John "Wesley, A. M. 

Late Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford. 

This great light arose 

(By the singular providence of God,) 

To enlighten these Nations, 

And to give, enforce, and defend 

The pure, apostolical Doctrines and Practices 

of the Primitive Church, 

Which he continued to do both by his writings and his labors, 

For more than half a century ; 

And to his inexpressible joy 

Not only beheld their influences extending, 

And their efficacy witnessed. 

In the hearts and lives of many thousands, 

As well in the Western World as in these Kingdoms ; 

But also, far above all human power or expectation, 

Lived to see provision made by the singular grace of God, 

For their continuance and establishment. 

To the joy of future generations. 

Reader ! if thou art constrained to bless the instrument, 

Give glory to God. 

After having lingered a few days, he at length finished his course and his 

life together, triumphing gloriously over death, March 2d, Anno Dom. 

1791, in the 88th year of his age. 

South Side. 

In this vault, with the remains of 

The Rev. Mr. Wesley, 

Are deposited those of the following preachers : 

Mr. Duncan Wright, died March 13, 1791, aged 55 years. 

The Rev. John Richardson, died Feb. 10, 1792, aged 57 years. 

Mr. John Murlin died July 7, 1799, aged 77 years. 

Rev. Walter Griffith, ; died Jan. 30, 1825, 

President of the Conference, 1813, ) aged 63 years. 

West Side. 

Here also are interred the remains of 

Mrs. Martha Hall, sister of Mr. Wesley, 

who died Julv 19, 1791, aged 85 years. 

" She opened her mouth with wisdom. 

And in her tongue was the law of kindness." 

31st Chap. Prov., verse 20. 

Just east of Wesley's grave, and lying parallel to it, 
within eighteen inches of the iron railing, is the iron fence 
that embraces the tomb of Dr. Adam Clarke, a man whom 
all lovers of the Bible esteem, for the good service he has 



264 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

done to the cause of Scriptural truth. This is a stone 
tablet, with a marble slab on which is the following : 

Sacred 

To the memory of 

Adam Clarke, L. L. D. A. S., 

Who rested from his labors, Aug. 26, 1832, 

Aged 72 years. 

Also, to the memory of Mary, nvife of 

Adam Clarke, L. L. D., 

"Who died Dec. 20, 1836, aged 76 years. 

Also, to the memory of 

John Wesley Clarke, Esq., eldest son of the above, 

Who died Feb. 29, 1840, 

Aged 51 years." 

Thus I have stood at the graves of Clarke and Wes- 
ley. I shall never forget the place or the day. It was 
a privilege few of mj religious countrymen enjoy. There 
is a large rose bush rooted at the head of Wesley, that 
draws its nourishment perhaps from his decayed dust. It 
is tall, and bends over the head of Clarke's grave, and its 
blossoms open there. It struck me as an affecting cir- 
cumstance not of design, but of nature ; and it was well 
that this sweet emblem should encircle the graves of those 
two great and good men. I gathered a few twigs from 
this bush as it wept over the head of Dr. Clarke, and 
pressed them in my diary to take home, as souvenirs, to 
place in the hands of some of my respected Methodist 
friends, who would be pleased thus to possess a fragrance 
derived from the graves so sacred in the annals of their 
church. 

Thus I spent the entire afternoon of my second Sunday 
in London, — not amongst the Hving, but amongst the 
dead, worshipping there the God of my fathers, I think, 
with a more sanctifying devotion than I could have caught 
in any of the numerous Churches around me. They were 
holy hours to me. 

'* How sweet their memory still." 



LETTER XXIII. 

THE CHISWICK GARDENS. 

Invitation to the Gardens — Duke of Devonshire's Estates at Chatsworth 
and Chiswick — Battle Field of Prince Rupert and Earl Essex — House 
where Fox and Canning died — Hogarth's Grave — Horticultural Society 
— Its History knd Operations — Description of the Gardens — Exhibitions 
— Great Estates in England — Effects of a Repeal of the Com Laws. 

Chiswick, August 12, 1851. 

By a card which I received at the Rooms of the Royal 
Commissioners of the Great Exhibition, in the Adelphi, 
from the Duke of Devonshire, President of the Royal 
Horticultural Society of Great Britain, I have to-day 
been permitted to visit the Society's Gardens in Chiswick . 
And as I love rural beauties adorned by art, I must say 
the day has been one of very great satisfaction and delight 
to me. But before I proceed to give my readers an ac- 
count of the Society and its Gardens, will you allow me 
to say something about its President ? 

The Duke has what may perhaps be called his metro- 
politan residence in the Parish of Chiswick, some six or 
eight miles above London on the river ; but his country 
seat, where he prefers to spend most of the year, is on an 
estate in Derbyshire, called Chatsworth, about seventy 
miles north of the city. The Chatsworth estate embraces 
three thousand, five hundred acres ; the lands immedi- 
ately connected with his house or villa, comprehend six or 
seven thousand acres ; but these, as indeed all the grounds 
23 



266 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

of Chatsworth, are laid out with perfect taste, and with no 
regard to expense, in gardens, parks, artificial ponds, the 
river itself, water-falls, fountains, arbors, lodges, bridges, 
conservatories, &c., &c. In addition to these, he owns 
other lands in Derbyshire, amounting in all to ninety-six 
thousand acres ! Think of that for one man's farm, and 
that too, in the little Island of Great Britain, where land 
is worth almost its weight in gold. His annual income is 
one million of dollars ; and his greatest trouble is to know 
what to do with it. Several of his farms on this estate, 
he rents to farmers for $5000 to $7,500 per year. It is 
a great story, but it is true. No country seat in the 
world, probably, surpasses this in splendor. His palace 
is magnificent, almost beyond description, surrounded by 
statuary taken from the ruins of Thebes, and fragments 
fiom the fallen temples of ancient Greece. The windows 
consist each of but two panes, and the glass is so clear 
that it is diflficult for a person to be convinced there is 
any glass there, till he submits the question to the sense 
of touch. Before the house is an immense Spanish chest- 
nut tree, which has a smooth, well-formed trunk, the girth 
of which near the ground is twenty-seven feet. When in 
blossom and in fruit, it appears most beautiful. In an 
enclosure are two trees planted, one by Victoria before 
her marriage, and the other by Prince Albert, of which 
great care is taken by the Duke. The interior of the 
palace is finished most gorgeously — with sculpture, 
paintings, carved wainscoating, fretted ceilings, and his 
library contains 31,000 volumes. His kitchen garden 
covers twelve acres. In an arboretum he has samples of 
every tree and shrub that can be acclimated. He sent a 
special messengers to India after one shrub that cost him 



THE CHIS^yiCK GARDENS. 26T 

<£ 2,000, or $10,000. The conservatory is of glass, three 
hundred eightj-seven feet long, by one hundred seventeen 
feet wide, and sixty-seven feet high. In it is a large 
aquarium for water plants ; and a gallery runs around the 
whole interior of the building, affording an enchanting 
view to the visitor. This conservatory is always kept at 
a uniform temperature, and contains a vast number of the 
rarest plants that can be collected from all parts of the 
world. One of his water fountains, in a lawn, sends up a 
jet two hundred seventy-six feet high. So great is the 
number of visitors annually to see this estate, that he has 
petitioned for the right to construct a railway for their ac- 
commodation. There are 80,000 persons in the course of 
a season that visit Chatsworth . 

His other estate is at Chiswick. This, as I have said, 
is on the Thames, near the Suspension Bridge, just above 
Hammersmith, about seven miles from the great city. It 
consists of several thousand acres. On its ground was 
fought the famous battle between Prince Rupert and Earl 
Essex. The Duke's mansion here, like that at Chats- 
worth, is superb. The portico is ascended by a flight of 
stone steps and marble balusters, and at different angles 
are massive figures in stone, of lions, eagles, &c. In this 
house Fox and Canning expired. Here they closed their 
eventful histories. In the Parish church-yard of Chiswick 
repose the remains of Hogarth, over whose grave is the 
following inscription : — 

** Farewell, great painter of mankind, 
"Who reached the noblest point of art ; 
"Whose pictured morals charm the mind. 
And throuofh the eye correct the heart. 
If Genius fire thee, reader, stay ; 
If Nature move thee, drop a tear ; 
If neither touch thee, taru away, 
For Hogarth's honor 'd dust lies here." 



268 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

The Horticultural Society, -with its garden at Chiswick, 
or rather on Turnham Green in the Parish of Chiswick, is 
one of the most successful and valuable institutions in 
England. The aid it has rendered to the cause of fruit 
and flower cultivation is very great. This Society was 
founded in 1802. Its " Transactions " are standard publi- 
cations on the subject of horticulture of the highest re- 
spectability. The first volume of " Transactions " was 
published in 1812, and a volume has appeared regularly 
every year. The contents are obtained by generous 
prizes offered for the same. In 1822 the Society leased 
thirty-two acres of the Duke of Devonshire's estate at 
Chiswick, and established an experimental garden. From 
the earliest organization to the present time, the Society 
has held regular meetings at their spacious room on 
Regent Street, London, where, before the garden began 
to yield its contributions, superior gardening products 
were exhibited, and where communications were invited 
from scientific and practical horticulturists. These meet- 
ings are still held, and the room contains a large and val- 
uable Gardeners' Library. After the gardens at Chis- 
wick were established, a new interest arose, large funds 
were secured, and the Duke of Devonshire was elected 
President, which office he has sustained with much zeal 
and liberality. Its object was to test all sorts of fruits, 
trees, flowers and vegetables adapted to the English cli- 
mate, and to try various machmery suited to gardening 
purposes. Communications were opened with kindred 
bodies, and commercial establishments all over the world ; 
and collectors were employed, and sent out to different 
countries and climates in search of novel and useful 
plants. This was done at a great cost. The Society has 



THE CHISWICK GARDENS. . 269 

now many agents in the field. Most of the new plants 
that have been introduced into England, and come into 
general cultivation within the last twenty years, have been 
obtained and propagated by this Society in the Chiswick 
Grardens. The number of such new plants at present ex- 
ceeds two hundred ; and they have been gathered from 
Mexico to China. 

In addition to the periodical shows in Regent Street, 
the Society, in 1831, began an exhibition at the garden ; 
but it was confined to fruits alone till 1833, when the 
exhibition also embraced flowering plants. These exhi- 
bitions have been held three times in each year — viz., in 
May, June, and July, till the present year, on account of 
strangers in London, the Society have appointed a special 
exhibition in August. Thus, by exciting emulation among 
the higher classes, the Horticultural Society has done 
more than any other body of men, to bring useful and 
tasteful gardening into such a wonderful state as now ex- 
ists in England. The different classifications in horticul- 
tural science are assigned to certain individuals as profes- 
sors, who have nothing else to do in the gardens than to 
investigate, test, and experiment in matters of their de- 
partments. A great advantage is acquired by this sys 
tem. Each part is more perfectly accomplished. A Mr^ 
Thompson has charge of the fruit department ; he has be- 
come so familiar with the delicate shades in the complex- 
ion and taste of fruits, that no one can be so good a judge 
as he of their several pretensions. 

When the gardens were first established, the chief efibrt 

was io force fruits — such as pine-apples, figs, peaches ; and 

this was done with success ; but it was found that the cost 

of forcing exceeded the value of the products in all senses 

23 ' '" 



270 ^ GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

of the word ; and this purpose was abandoned. Now none 
but hardy plants are cultivated. In this, the Society is 
rational. 

In the Chiswick Gardens, one acre and a half are de- 
voted to apples and pears of the best varieties ; another 
half acre is occupied by pears trained as espaliers ; and 
then other apartments, each about the same size, are de- 
voted, one to choice plums, another to cherries, and the 
last to general fruits, in which every known method of 
cultivation and training is tried. 

The fruit-room is well ventilated, but almost dark. The 
fruit is laid on wooden shelves, arranged in tiers, and 
formed of narrow strips of wood, with small spaces between 
them. The choicest pears, &c., are laid on these shelves, 
wrapped in soft paper. 

The Conservatory is worthy of the plan, though but a 
section of it is yet completed. It is to be five hundred 
feet long. The portion now built and occupied is one 
hundred and eighty feet long, by twenty-seven feet wide ; 
and its height equals its width. Its roof si curvilinear, 
made of Hght iron and patent sheet-glass. One half of its 
basement story is under the level of the surrounding earth, 
and the approach to it is by a walled avenue, that, com- 
mencing some distance oflf, gently descends to the large 
and highly oniamental doors. Above the base, the glass 
dome arises, most beautifully laced by its own fine iron 
net-work, and the top is surmounted by a crown The 
air in it first passes over large gutters of rain-water, re- 
ceived from the roof, and thence over hot-water pipes — 
thus keeping the air moist and warm. 

"V^ithii^ the Conservatory, narrow stagings run along the 
Slide Y^d\Ma, and a path each side of the central bed. On 



THE cms WICK GARDENS. 271 

the stages are small and showy flowering plants, arranged 
so as to reflect their beauties by contrast with each other. 
In the centre, plants grow without pots ; and having as 
much rich earth as they want, and a moisture for the roots 
derived in nature's way, by exhalation, they grow most 
luxuriantly under the glass dome. Here are the tea- 
scented roses, of all sizes and colors, Hedychimes, Brug- 
mansias, large Altingias, the elegant climber, Harden- 
bergia, that scrambles up wires, and hangs like the drapery 
of an Eastern scene. 

The Arboretum has three straight walks on three sides ; 
the spaces are very interesting, as exhibiting various novel 
trees and shrubs ; where the tender ones rest against a 
brick wall, a narrow thatched roof is made to be thrown 
forward in cold weather for winter protection. At the 
entrance of the garden is an arched house, for plants of 
all varieties, kept hot ; and near this is a stove-house for 
stove plants, or such as can thrive only in heat ; there are 
two span-roofed green houses, one particularly neat and 
elegant. In a span-roofed pit, some new hybrid japon- 
icas have been brought out, which are very popular in 
London. 

The whole of the ground is occupied with the beauty of 
plants and flowers, and on Exhibition d^ys, the gardens are 
open to the beauty and fashion of the Metropolis, which 
appear there in the richest displays, promenading the 
gardens. Ordinarily, there are twenty thousand visitors 
on those days, and the carriages come by miles. Pohce 
officers are in attendance, who oblige the carriages to keep 
in a line, the occupants of each waiting their turn for 
alighting. As a matter of etiquette, it is expected the 
ladies who visit the gardens will appear in full dress. Mil- 



272 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

itary bands of music attend to fill an atmosphere that is 
charged with fragrance, also with the concord of sweet 
sounds. The Duke of Devonshire, a part of whose estate 
these gardens occupy, and whose mansion is not far dis- 
tant, being President of the Society, opens all his gates on 
the Exhibition Days, and allows the visitors freely to pass 
over his magnificently beautiful domains. 

As my American readers are not probably aware of the 
size of the farms of some of the nobihty of England, I 
would conclude this Letter by giving some statements, as 
I have learned them, from men or books. One farm, 
near Edinburgh, is so large and productive, that it is let 
annually to a farmer, who pays an annual rent of $10,000 
for the use of it, and has become very wealthy at that. Earl 
Fitzwilliam has a farm of sixteen hundred acres, besides 
owning the land all around it, as far as the eye can reach 
to see fields and parks. His house is on the largest scale 
of any private establishment in the kingdom ; it requires 
thirty or forty servants constantly employed in it. Earl 
Spencer, sixty miles from London, at Althrope, has ten 
thousand acres as his home-place. No fences are to be 
seen. The lands are divided by invisible iron ones. 
Goodwood, the seat of the Duke of Richmond, contains 
forty thousand acres, and in Scotland he has about three 
hundred thousand acres more when he goes hunting in 
summer. This estate is called Gordon Castle ; and the 
privilege of taking salmon upon it, he rents for $35,000 per 
year. The late Lord Yarborough had more than sixty 
thousand acres on one plantation ; on which he made more 
than seven thousand miles of drains, and set out thirteen 
millions of trees. He had six hundred tenants on his 
farms, who paid him each a rentage, varying from $5000 



THE CHISWICK GARDENS. 273 

to $70,000. The owning of so much land by a few 
wealthy men deprives the common people of all chance to 
acquire an interest in the soil, or to support themselves 
by their own farming operations. Thus the rich are con- 
tinually being made richer, and the poor poorer, in Great 
Britain — so different is Old England from New England. 
There lands are cut up into small plantations, and each 
farmer is the owner of his estate against the world. It is 
thought that the repeal of the corn laws, which have given 
the rich producers a monopoly in the sale of breadstuffs, 
will so reduce the price of grain, &c., that the Lords can 
no longer make it profitable to farm it without working 
themselves ; and the effect ultimately may be to cause the 
lands to pass into the hands of operators, and then the 
people will have a chance to live independently of their 
lordly owners and masters. 



LETTER XXIV. 

A STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 

Blackwall Railway — Call on P. Vaughan, Esq. — Boarding in London — 
The American Minister — A Saunter through Queen's Way — Refreshment 
Garden — Hyde Park and first view of Crystal Palace — The Serpentine — 
Smithfield Faggots — St. Bartholomew's Church — Reflections on the 
burning of Rev. John Rogers — New Lodgings — Music of Jew's Harp. 

London, August 13, 1851. 
I MAKE it a point to write something — a Letter if 
possible — every night before I retire to rest. This , 
however, keeps me up as late as other Londoners ; seldom 
does the couch receive my Exhausted frame and wearie d 
head before low twelve. But till midnight London is 
all noon-day ; — the streets are illuminated by, I guess 
I may say, safely, millions of miniature suns in the 
shape of brilliant gas lights, and are as full of people, omni- 
buses and other vehicles as they are at high twelve . It 
would be of little use for me to retire before the night in 
London really begins. I am up, also, betimes, finishing 
those writings which had not been completed the previous 
evening ; and if the family does not bring up my break- 
fast in season, I take my cane and go out to some eating- 
house and obtain the necessary repast, and thence start oiF 
on my day's work about London or in the Crystal Palace. 
I lost time in getting out to England, and must make it 



A STROLL AEOUT LONDON. 275 

up by observing the more accurately and -working the 
faster and harder whilst here. 

As I cannot conveniently this evening indite a regular 
Letter, I transcribe a few leaves from my diary, written a 
few days after my arrival. 

August 2d. — Went from ship in W. I. Dock, Black- 
wall, to town, alone, on the Railway that passes over the 
tops of the buildings — hence about four miles — to the 
Station just within the old London walls, on Crutchet 
Friars, Jewry street, near the Minories. The cars pass 
each way once in every fifteen minutes. The train, this 
morning, consisted of twenty-three cars, all full of pas- 
sengers, at 6d. each. There were so many, — and I knew 
them not — that I was, as I have said, "alone." No 
one can be more alone in the lonely forests of Aroostook, 
than he is if a stranger in London. Such a " world is but 
a wilderness." 

" Amidst the crowd, the hum, the shock of men, 
To hear, to see, to feel, and to possess. 
And roam along, the worldly tired denizen. 
With none to bless iis, none whom we can bless ; 
Minions of splendor, shrinking from distress ! 
None that with kindred consciousness endued. 
If we were not, would seem to smile the less 
Of all that flatter'd, follow'd, sought, and sued ; 
This is to be alone ; this, this is solitude." 

Walked fi-om the Station — there is no such word as 
Dejjot, here ; this is a French word, and the English hate 
the French and French words. I say I walked from the 
Station to Fenchurch Street, where I called on P. 
Vaughan, Esq., and delivered my letter of introduction 
from Gov. Hubbard. He was ill, confined to his bed, and 
I could not see him. A gentleman, however, in his ofl&ce 
ofiered me every assistance, and gave me a line to Mr. 
Lawrence, the American Minister. 



276 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Passed along Fenchurch Street into Grace street ; 
thence up Bishop's Gate Street, Without, to Gilpin's 
Book-store — (I believe it was near this that the John 
Gilpin race took place !) — and there found brother Pres- 
ton, who said he had engaged rooms for us at Mr. Mella- 
dews, No. 23 Swinton street, where we must arrange 
our city " home " to-morrow. We do not board here as 
in the United States, at a stipulated sum per week, all 
found ; but hire our rooms, into which no one, not even 
the family or servants, can enter but by our call or con- 
sent ; the rooms are furnished ; we ring the bell and order 
what we will eat, what we will drink and wherewithal we 
will be served, and it is brought on piecemeal and charged 
accordingly ; — so that we never know, till the close of a 
week, what is the amount of our board bill. Great 
advantage is taken of a stranger's unacquaintance with 
prices of particular articles of food, condiments, &c., and 
as for servants, they must receive pay for every courtesy. 
It is costly living in London — especially this summer, 
during the rush of company from all parts of the world to 
attend the Great Exhibition. 

Took an omnibus at the Royal Exchange, corner of 
Cornhill and Lombard Streets, opposite the Bank of 
England, and rode through Cheapside, by St. Paul's 
Cathedral, over Ludgate Hill, through Fleet Street and 
the Strand, by Charing Cross and Trafalgar square, where 
stands a huge statue of Nelson, high in air, into Pall Mall, 
up St. James Street, to Piccadilly, a distance of about 
three miles, for 6d, and called on Hon. Abbot Lawrence. 
I gave him my letters of commendation, and showed him 
my Commission. He received me very kindly, and 
begged me to feel at home in his house as long as I should 



A STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 277 

remain in London. He makes a fine appearance, and is 
a noble specimen of a fine old New England gentleman. He 
is much respected in London generally, and by the Court 
in particular. Perhaps he is not so learned a man as 
was J. Q. Adams, Edward Everett, or George Bancroft, 
but he is better acquainted with human life than either, 
knows more of men and manners, is perfectly familiar 
with all business matters, and understands well the 
interests of his country. I doubt if we were ever better 
represented at the Court of St. James. Cost his private 
pocket what it may, he is determined the United States 
shall suffer nothing for the want of his attentions. He 
lives in good style at the Court End of the Town, on 
Piccadilly, a most elegant street that, like Beacon 
Street in Boston, which has the Common in full view, 
looks out upon the open St. James' Park, directly oppo- 
site to Buckingham Palace, the Queen's Metropolitan 
residence. I believe his house is between the Russian 
and French minister's and he maintains as good, though 
not so gorgeous, a style as they. I saw nothing anti- 
republican in his house, his servants or in his own man- 
ners. The rooms are richly furnished with fine paintings, 
mostly commemorative of American scenery and patriotism, 
and his office is in a front parlor on the second story, that 
fronts upon the beautiful lawns, lakes and sylvan beauties 
of the Park. He presides at a round table in the centre 
of the room — a grey headed, gentlemanly man, attenr 
tive to all business introduced to him ; and his Secretary 
of Legation, a son of Gov. Davis, of Worcester, who has 
travelled much in foreign parts, is ever ready to await his 
wishes and execute his directions. He remarked to me 
24 



278 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

that he gave every day to the business of his office, but 
Saturday afternoons and Sundays, — the first from his 
New England school boy days he had enjoyed for pastime, 
and the last he would give to his God, and not allow its 
hours to be invaded by private company or public business. 

Taking leave of Mr. Lawrence, we walked out upon 
St. James' Park and resting upon an iron seat on the 
margin of a lake just in front of Mr. Lawrence's house, 
enjoyed the enchanting presence of all the beauties of the 
splendid Park before us. Passing under the arching trees 
along the Queen's Way we approached Her Majesty's 
Residence, the gates of which were guarded by miUtary 
sentinels in uniform, with polished guns, we entered the 
yard, and passing the arch in the front quadrangle, pro- 
ceeded to the open court in the interior of the Palace, 
where the Queen sports with her children. Buckingham 
Palace is a magnificent edifice, worthy the Sovereign of 
the mightiest kingdom, or queendom in the world. Upon 
its battlements are erected statues of Enghsh Kings and 
Dukes, and the whole is surmounted with the Crown and 
the Royal Coat-of-Arms. Behind the Palace is the 
Queen's Garden of forty acres. It is elegantly laid out 
— has a lake in the centre — and abounds with fish, birds, 
flowers and fruits. We gathered a few souvenirs from the 
plants to press in our herbarium. 

Near the the Queen's Palace, we called at a refresh- 
ment saloon for dinner ; and were conducted into the 
adjacent gardens, well shaded with trees, under which are 
statues and other interesting objects ; and in which are 
spacious halls for shooting, riding, bowling, &c., rural 
arbors, with tables and seats where our refreshments were 



A STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 279 

served. There are several jets d'eau in this garden 
which give a freshness to the atmosphere. 

Leaving St. James' Park and walking through the 
Green Park, we entered Hyde Park where the Crystal 
Palace attracts the whole world. These Parks are all 
in connexion ; and with the Kensington Gardens adja- 
cent to the latter, constitute a rural opening of eight 
hundred and thirty-two acres of inimitable beauty in the 
very heart of London ! — deer, feeding upon the lawns ; 
birds, singing in the trees ; boats, sailing on the lakes, 
and myriads of men, women and children, some on foot, 
some on horses, some in coaches, others in vehicles drawn 
by poneys, donkeys, goats or dogs, walking, running or 
riding in every direction. 

And there is the Glass Palace — the wonder of the 
world ! covering eighteen acres of ground, three stories in 
height, with an arched roof in the centre that embraces 
huge trees one hundred and eight feet high ! As the 
unclouded sun shines upon the roof and sides of 
stained glass, and the dense shade of the neighboring 
trees gives contrast to the picture, nothing in this world 
ever struck the eye with so much admiration as that 
wonderful edifice that contains the Industrial Congress 
of the World ! I shall never forget the first glimpse I 
got of it through those arching trees that bound the line of 
the way as I entered Hyde Park under the triumphal 
arch, near the Duke of Wellington's Mansion, called 
the Apsley House, at its junction with Constitution Hill. 
It was worth a voyage across the Atlantic to see. Near 
the Crystal Palace is a large lake, called the Serpentine, 
the shores of which are lined with flint pebbles, and 
shaded with over-arching trees, and wharves at which 



280 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

small barges and sail-boats of great beauty are in readi- 
ness for any persons who wish to enjoy an excursion on 
the lake. In the centre is moored a miniature frigate, 
that belongs to the Queen's eldest son, the Prince of 
Wales, now ten years of age, and the heir apparent to 
her Throne. He is a Midshipman in the Royal Navy, 
and begins his first lessons upon subjects of nautical sci- 
ence and art in this young man-of-war, — or rather this 
boy-of-war. 

From Hyde Park we took an omnibus on Oxford Street, 
and passing through that and High Holborn, all along 
which is splendor enough to bedazzle any Yankee — pro- 
ceeded to West Smithfield, nearly three miles distant, 
just over the walls of the old Roman city, in what is now 
about the centre of London. This is an open space of six 
or eight acres, and is paved with cobble stones, and cut 
up into avenues and pens by sawed rail fences. These 
are for the reception of cattle, sheep and swine. Smith- 
field is now the great cattle market of London, but being 
a nuisance is soon to be abolished by act of ParHament, as 
such. Thousands of cattle and tens of thousands of 
sheep and swine are driven in here from the country 
every Monday and Friday, and placed in those enclosures 
for sale. Here are annually marketed 1,450,000 sheep, 
25,000 calves, 35,000 pigs, 185,000 oxen, besides cows, 
mules, asses, goats and dogs, in great numbers. It is a 
dirty place, and the surrounding buildings give evidence 
of vice and wretchedness. This is the real Smith- 
field, corrupted from Smoothfield, of our Primers, where 
the Protestant martyrs were burnt at the stake in the 
reign of Bloody Mary. It was once tne site of tilts and 
tournaments. There is one spot on the ground not occu- 



A STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 281 

pied by cattle, and this is where John Rogers, Anne 
Askew, Bartholomew Leggett and others, were burnt for 
heresy. As I approached it, I noticed a man sitting 
upon a stool with an armful of canes to sell, that appeared 
to have been colored by a partial insertion in flames. 
" Sir," said I, " are those the faggots with which the 
martyrs were burnt here ? " " No sir," said he, " they 
are the ones with which they were not burnt — will you 
have one ? " I remembered my friend Rev. Isaac 
Rogers of Farmington, who takes an honest pride in 
being a regular lineal descendant from Rev. John 
Rogers; and wishing to preserve something as a re- 
membrancer of a place so sacred to the cause of re- 
ligious liberty, I purchased one of the canes, that I will 
carry home to America with me and offer him as a 
souvenir from Smithfield, and as a token of my own 
personal friendship. 

St. Bartholomew's Church is still standing at the east- 
ern corner of Smithfield. Under it are subterranean 
rooms, where it is said the Reformers in the 16th century 
were wont to retreat for a chance to worship God accord- 
ing to the dictates of their own consciences. There are a 
clock and a bell in the tower ; and at the approach to the 
great door, on the left side, are a few graves with stones 
so old that the inscriptions are not to be read — perhaps 
the bodies of martyrs repose here — sacred ashes ; from 
the fires which reduced them, the spirit of Liberty ascends 
ever ! 

As I stood on Smithfield, my mind travelled back to 
the days of persecution. I thought I could see the vic- 
tim bound and enclosed in faggots ; — I saw the execu- 
tioner approach with bloody axe and infernal insignia, and 
24* 



282 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. • 

kindle the fires ; — I saw the wife " with nine small chil- 
dren and one at the breast," surrounding the stake at 
which the husband and father was being immolated; — I 
heard his last benedictions and prayers ; — I saw the 
light gleam upon the old church which had been the re- 
fuge and prison of the Reformers ; — I heard the faggots 
crackle under the consuming fire ; — I beheld the smoke 
and flames gather around the body of the victim, and, 
pouring into his face, sufibcate and strangle the dying 
man, whose last words were a prayer for his enemies ! and 
I returned from Smithfield with the prayer upon my 
heart, that God would make me more faithful than ever to 
the sacred cause of human rights and religious freedom. 

At night I repaired to Swinton Street for my new 
lodgings. It is a wide, clean, sweet, quiet street, with 
elegant residences on both sides. There are no stores or 
shops in it, and the noises of no omnibuses are heard in it. 
The small birds from the great parks come in flocks upon 
the macadamized surface ot the street, and feast them- 
selves upon the crumbs thrown out from the doors. The 
forest birds are as plenty here as in any of our rural vil- 
lages of New England. As I approached my new quar- 
ters, I noticed directly in front, on the side-walk, two 
well-clad boys discoursing most eloquent music — one 
with a violin, singing a plaintive air, and the other accom- 
panying on a Jew's Harp, a real Harp of David. I do 
not remember ever to have seen one in America. Its 
base rested upon the sidewalk, and its head was as high 
as the boy's. The strings were long and gave a generous 
music as he plied them with his well skilled fingers. In 
shape it was according to the pictures which we see of 



A STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 283 

David's Harp ; it was made of Turkey box-wood, and was 
a very handsome instrument. Under the sound of this 
music I have come for the first time into this house, my 
new London home, and have written the foregoing in my 
Note Book. 



LETTER XXV. 

ANOTHER STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 



A Beautiful Morning — Inns of Court — Gray's Inn — Splendid Stores in 
Holborn — Trade in Manuscript Sermons — Old Bailey and Newgate Pris- 
ons — Goldsmith's Residence — General Post Office — Exact Regulations 
— Five Points of Wealth — Bank of England — Royal Exchange. 



London, August 14, 1851. 

Taking the suggestion from mj extract of yesterday, I 
shall write out this evening an account of my stroll to-day 
about the city. The morning was beautiful — the dense 
smoke of the immense city had not yet obscured the sun 

— the skies were without a cloud — the birds were sing- 
ing in the parks, and the air that came from those great 
lungs of a healthy city, was bland and sweet. I started 
alone from my lodgings for a walk through Gray's Inn 
Lane, Holborn, Skinner Street, and Newgate, to the 
General Post Office on St. Martin's-le-Grand, and per- 
haps, if time should allow, through Cheapside and Poultry 
Street, to the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England ; 

— the whole making a distance from my starting point of 
about two miles. My object was to accomplish this stroll, 
if possible, in season for my afternoon's work in the Crys- 
tal Palace at the West End, which is in the opposite 
direction, about four miles from the last named place. I 



ANOTHER STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 285 

must spend part of each day in that Congress of In- 
dustry. 

Gray's Inn Lane is a very long street, leading out of 
High Holborn at right angles, northward, and takes its 
name from one of the Inns of Court, established originally 
by old Lord Gray. These Inns are not what we call tav- 
erns, but the head quarters of the legal Faculty — the 
Inns or Resorts of Court people, — lawyers and judges, 
— who have their conference halls here in which instruc- 
tion is imparted to the profession, andbarristers-at-law are 
admitted to practice. They are the seats for learning the 
domestic history of the realm, and the residence of legal 
subtilty. There are four principal Inns of Court in Lon- 
don, viz. — The Inner and Middle Temple, Lincoln's Inn, 
and Gray's Inn. I must stop and see this last on my 
way. The building is of stone. It looks like some an- 
cient College edifice, and contains large halls, offices, 
library rooms, &c. Attached to it are elegant gardens of 
several acres. Lincoln's Inn, not far from this, just out 
of Holborn, has a larger garden, more like a field, — 
hence, who has not heard of " Lincoln's Inn Fields ? " 

These four Inns of Court hold in conference the privi- 
lege of electing or rejecting students-at-law, who are 
proposed to them as barristers, (they are not called law- 
yers, as in America, but 6ar-risters, members of the har.^ 
This is done by the student furnishing a written statement 
of his age, residence, and condition in life, accompanied 
by a certificate of his fitness, signed by himself and a 
bencher, or senior member or reader of the society, or by 
two barristers in his stead. The student is required to 
be well educated. In entering either of the Inns of 
Court, he is required to pay a fee of £100, or $500, and 



286 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

attend the term dinners a prescribed number of times, in 
order to be farther qualified for the election ; and if 
elected, he is then, as is said, " called to the bar " — as a- 
clergyman is called to the pulpit — the call, perhaps, is 
sometimes as divine in the former case as in the latter. 
After admission, he must be studious in his law readings, 
diligent in his attentions to the proceedings of Court, 
watch the progress and termination of cases therein, be 
courteous to his superiors, urgent in his efforts, and forci- 
ble in his arguments for his clients. Success and honor 
then await him. 

Gray's Inn was formerly the property of King Henry 
VIII. The great hall was built in 1560, and the gardens 
were planted by Lord Bacon in 1600. He was a mem- 
ber of this society, and Treasurer of the same. It can 
boast of other eminent men, amongst whom may be men- 
tioned Lords Burleigh and Romilly. The Inn is divided 
into four Courts, — South Square, Field Court, Chapel 
Court, and Gray's Inn Square. The chambers recently 
built called Yercelum Buildings, are principally occupied 
by barristers, and students, and soHcitors. 

Leaving Gray's Inn Lane, and passing into Holburn 
(pronounced Hohurri) — a very long and rich business 
thoroughfare, which, in its progress, is known in one part 
as High Holborn, (where Day k Martin's blacking manu- 
factory is located,) in another simply Holburn, and near 
its eastern terminus, Holborn Hill, — I could but halt, 
occasionally, to examine the rich displays at mercers', jew- 
ellers', and other gay windows. Indeed, I could not 
resist the temptation to call at one most splendid establish- 
ment, Charles Meeking & Co., 62 Holborn Hill, and make 
purchase of some Irish 'Poplins, Damask Silk, Wool Plaids, 



ANOTHER STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 287 

and Linens, to take home to the family as appropriate 
" London presents." Such goods are much better and 
cheaper here than in America. These were manufactured 
in Scotland and Ireland, by the proprietors of the rich 
store of whom these purchases were made. Their immense 
rooms, on Holborn Hill, are almost a city of themselves. 

From here, I proceeded down, through Skinner street 
to Newgate. These are both on the direct way to the 
General Post-office, eastward ; but being crossed by 
another street called Giltspur, on the left, and Old Bailey, 
on the right, the avenue here assumes those different 
names. 

Near the corner of Giltspur and Newgate, I noticed a 
Book-shop, at the window of which was pasted a written 
paper in the following words : — '^ Manuscript Sermons 
FOR SALE ; 6d." I had heard that English sermon-makers 
and Enghsh clergymen carried on a large business in man- 
uscript sermons, and had the curiosity to enter and ask the 
trader to let us examine some of those advertised at the 
window. He handed me a large pile of sermons, new and 
clean, from which I selected one as a specimen. He then 
threw down another lot of old looking ones, written by 
" Rev. Dr. Dollard," and expended many compliments on 
the character of the author, and the excellence of the ser- 
mons. I selected one of these, also, and offered him his 
two sixpences, or a shilling. He began to look excited, as 
if quite offended : — " But, Sir," said he, " that is not 
enough ; the written sermons are sixpence, the first you 
took is a lithographed one, — that alone is a shilling, — 
the two will be one and sixpence." I saw the fraud, and 
notified him of it ; I called for the sermons advertised at 
his window, the price of which was a sixpence ; he pre- 



288 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

sented me those as such, which were so well lithographed, 
that thej appeared exactly like written ones. There was 
a cheat, however, in the manufacture, and a cheat in the 
sale ; and I suppose the clergy who purchase of him on 
Saturday for use the next day, cheat their hearers by 
appearing to have written sermons, and to be the authors 
of them themselves. However, I was not disposed to mul- 
tiply words for the sake of an extra sixpence, and so I took 
the two samples to carry to America, in order that my 
clerical friends at home may see how easy and cheap a 
thing it is in England for any man to be a clergyman of 
" the Church." 

The Old Bailey is a short street leading from Newgate 
to Ludgate Hill, near Paternoster Row in the rear of St. 
Paul's Cathedral. From the Book-shop, before men- 
tioned, crossing Newgate into the Old Bailey, on the left 
is the famous Newgate Prison, which occupies almost the 
entire length of the street. This word is corrupted from 
an old Bailiff who once resided just without that New 
Gate of the walled city. On the opposite side is a range 
of mean and dirty buildings, in one of which the celebrated 
Oliver Goldsmith resided. The chamber was pointed out 
to me by a Policeman, where Goldsmith wrote his Vicar 
of Wakefield. That good Yicar, I dare say, did not 
purchase his hthographed sermons in a Newgate Book- 
store. I could but feel a sense of reverence, as I stood 
and realized that there OUver Goldsmith lived, and gave 
to the world those Works which have immortalized his 
own name, and which have blessed his race to the end of 
time. 

Newgate Prison is a huge, dark, stone edifice, gloomy 
enough for an English prison. Ordinarily there are five 



ANOTHER STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 289 

hundred persons in it, and most of them mix together in 
the dark interior lanes and passage ways, with no other 
employment than learning to perfect themselves in vil- 
lainy. The prisoners, however, are mostly such as are 
awaiting trial in the Court Rooms in other parts of the 
building. I entered and saw Barristers in powdered wigs 
and long gowns, and the Judges on the Bench, with 
ermine badges, who would sentence this one to Pen- 
tonville, that to Botany Bay, and a third to the gallows, 
with as much indifference as a professed butcher puts his 
knife into the neck of a swine. 

Most prisoners under sentence of death are confined in 
this prison. From the door of an upper story the culprits 
are led out on a drop platform over the sidewalk, and 
hung from a beam projecting beneath the roof. Thus the 
executions are public. 

It is but a short distance from this Prison at the end of 
Newgate, to St. Martin' s-le-Grand on Alder's Gate, - 
where the General Post Office is located. This is the 
General Office, not for Loudon only, but for the English 
Islands, and its number of clerks and letter-carriers alone 
is thirteen thousand. The letters delivered annually are 
estimated at three hundred and twenty-nine millions. The 
postage on all letters of the common weight is only one 
penny to any part of the Kingdom, and newspapers go 
absolutely free to subscribers. This is more liberal to the 
Press than our own Republican Government is willing to 
be. It should be said, however, that there is a stamp 
duty always to be paid to the Government before any 
publisher can issue his papers, and this makes newspapers 
dearer without postage in England, than ours are with it, 
in America. 2-5 



290 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

The General Post Office is of the Ionic order, made of 
faced Portland stone, covering a large compact rectangle, 
■which on the street side has a facade of four hundred feet 
long of Grecian character. A tunnel under the rotunda, 
in the centre, affords a passage between the two wings. 
There are sub-offices all over the city to which mails go 
ten times every day from this General Post Office. A 
letter once deposited, cannot be given back to the writer 
or depositor, even to correct a mistake. From that 
moment it is in the charge of Government, which 
is responsible for its safe delivery. Any amount of 
money may be sent by mail, the sender only paying the 
Post Office 6d for registering the letter, with the amount 
enclosed, &c. If lost, the Government is responsible to 
the sender. If letters are not prepaid, the postage is 
doubled. 

One would think that a letter sent to an individual 
from any part of the world to "London," and with no 
other more specific direction, would be about as likely to 
be received by its owner, as a leaf in autumn blown into 
a forest would be to find its intended destination upon the 
dining-log of the woodsman. But nothing is more sure, 
as I found it in my own case. If a letter comes, say 
from America, directed to me in London, all I have to do, 
at first, is only to visit the great rotunda, of the General 
Post Office, on the arrival of a mail steamer, and look at 
the list of letters received by the same for London. This 
is written and posted on a large board hung upon the wall 
under the sign — "United States." If a letter has 
arrived, all I have to do is — not to call at any one of the 
numerous office-windows for the letter itself, but rather 
to write my address with a pencil on a blank left for that 



ANOTHER STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 291 

purpose against the name, and withdraw. In a very short 
time, perhaps, in an hour, one of the city mails carries 
it to the sub-office for the district in which I reside, and a 
pennj-post takes it forthwith to my lodgings and deposits 
it on my table. From this time I never need go to the 
Post Office again for any thing ; it is as sure to be brought 
to my lodgings in an hour after its arrival at the General 
Post Office, as the sun is to rise. Nothing can be more 
perfect than the Post Office system of London. Row- 
land Hill's name in connection with it, will live forever. 
Passing from the General Post office down Cheapside 
and Poulteny, the traveller comes to a point very near 
the centre of London proper, — that is, the old Roman 
city, — where, just ahead, three splendid streets radiate, 
viz. Lombard, Cornhill and Threadneedle, and at the 
right, King William street, and at the left Prince street. 
These Five Points, however, are very different, both in ap- 
pearance and reality, from the famous Five Points in New 
York. Those are poor, filthy, vicious and miserable ; 
these are the very head- quarters of the wealth, beauty 
and magnificence of London and the world. On one of 
the acute angles, in front, viz. on the point formed by the 
junction of Cornhill and Threadneedle streets is the Royal 
Exchange, than which, there is perhaps, no building in 
London more rich and elegant. On the left, nearly 
opposite, upon an irregular site of eight acres, bounded 
on all sides by streets, viz. Prince street, Threadneedle, 
Lothbury and Bartholomew Lane is the Bank of England. 
This covers the entire area ; of course its whole exterior 
is bounded by streets, and on no street is there a single 
window. All is darkness itself, so far as the curious public 
can see. There are, indeed, places for windows regularly 



292 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

cut in all the walls, with stone frames and caps, and the 
spaces usually occupied by glass, filled with smoothly 
wrought marble slabs. There is also, at the north-west 
angle, a mock entrance, consisting of a beautiful colonade 
with Corinthian capitals, surmounted by a Grecian dome, 
and the floor of which is bristling with sharp iron prongs 
pointing in very direction, as if to prevent all access to 
the door, which is not a door, but an elegantly carved 
marble fixture as immovable as any other parts of the wall 
of the building. 

The Bank of England is a low edifice, of a single story, 
with an entablature above, — that seems to be lower, as 
all the surrounding buildings are so lofty and gorgeous. 
On Threadneedle street, there is an arch in the building, 
protected by iron gates, which are opened by day, and 
guarded by an officer clad in a long tailed blue coat, 
boardered with red, and wearing a three-cornered-hat. 
Having a ticket from our Minister, Mr. Lawrence, I passed 
the guard, and went through the arch into an open court 
within. The walls through which the arch passes are so 
thick as to constitute a width sufficient for large rooms in 
the building, that look out upon the court, where the light 
is sent into the windows from the interior walls. There 
are nine of these open courts in the Bank, some of which 
are filled with shrubbery and flowers, and watered by jets 
d'eau. It is a city within itself. I cannot describe the 
apartments of a Bank that thus turns its cold, dark, 
mighty back upon the world. It looks only on itself, and 
has the exclusive light of heaven for its use. I went 
through several of its rooms, all of which were guarded 
by an officer in uniform like the one already described. 
They appeared to be occupied by banking officers, clerks, 



ANOTHER STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 293 

&c., &c. The number of clerks, porters, engravers and 
printers employed within this building, is one thousand, 
whose salaries (for life) average each f 1 125 annually. 
Those past work, are pensioned well. This makes every 
person employed independent, and puts him beyond all 
necessary temptations. 

The principal business of the Bank of England is pay- 
ing the annual interest of the National Debt, which is 
$3,500,000,000. The Government has no control over 
it, except to renew its charter occasionally. It is the 
only bank in Great Britain that is allowed to issue paper 
money, and itself can issue no bills less than £5. Of 
these there are eighteen or nineteen millions of pounds 
issued annually. The notes of no two denominations are 
alike, and no note is issued a second time. When once it 
comes back to the Bank, it is filed away and registered. 
The whole capital of the Bank is £14,553,000, and 
besides the notes already named, it advances money to the 
Government in the shape of Exchequer Bills to an 
immense amount. It is the Money King of the Earth, — 
high in its power over all mere Thrones. 

London is the centre of the wealth of the commercial 
world, and that wealth is displayed all over the city. Its 
magnificence corresponds with its magnitude. A visitor 
from a Yankee city in America feels as if he never was 
in a city before, and he is lost in the vastness of London 
and its unparalleled splendors. 

The locale of the New Royal Exchange building has 
been given. This is one of the most elegant structures in 
the world, and is an honor and an ornament even to London. 
It is built on the site of the old one, which was opened in 
royal style by Queen Elizabeth in 1569. This was opened 
25* 



§M GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

in the same style by Queen Victoria in October, 1844. 
The edifice is 308 feet in length, and has two fronts, the 
"western being 119 feet wide and the eastern, 175 feet. 
It has a quadrangle in the centre, like the cortili of the 
Italian palaces, open to the sky, 112 feet long by 53 feet 
•wide. This is paved with Turkey stones taken from the 
old Exchange, laid in patterns, with bands of red granite. 
On the four interior sides are Doric columns and rusticated 
arches and windows, surmounted by a highly ornamented 
pierced parapet. In the c entre of the cortili is a pedestal 
of marble, in which is a full statue of England's beloved 
Queen, with the crown upon her fair brow. This is the 
best likeness of Victoria that I saw any where in England. 
At the eastern end is a tower one hundred seventy- 
seven feet high, surmounted by a copper gilded grass- 
hopper eleven feet long, taken from the old Exchange. 
In this tower is a peal of fifteen bells for the chimes. 
The western end is the most elegant. It looks out upon 
a large open space formed by the junction of five streets. 
This front consists of a portico of eight Corinthian col- 
umns, forty-one feet long, supporting the pediment, which 
to its apex, is seventy-four feet from the ground. The 
tympanum of the pediment is adorned with sculpture in 
bold relief, consisting of a great number of figures allego- 
rically representing Commerce, in its various branches, 
transacting the business of the earth. Over all this is the 
appropriate inscription in English, " The earth is the 
Lord's^ and the fullness thereof ^^^ and on the horizontal 
line of the frieze of the portico beneath, is the following in 
Latin : " Anno xiii. Elizabethce R. Conditvm. Anno viii. 
Victorice It. Restavratvm.^^ Some distance in advance 
of the west end, is a bronze equestrian statue of the Duke 



ANOTHER STROLL ABOUT LONDON. 295 

of Wellington, mounted on his horse, upon a tall marble 
pedestal. This statue was cast by Chantrej from the 
cannon taken by the Duke in his battles with Napoleon. 
The value of the metal was $7,500, and the cost of get- 
ting it into this shape was $45,000 more ; making the 
cost of the whole statue $52,500. 

The foundation of the Exchange building was laid by 
Prince Albert, June 17, 1842. It was opened by his 
wife — nay, his sovereign — in October, 1844. The cost 
of the building was $750,000. It is the great resort of 
the merchant princes of London. The main floor consists 
of four grand apartments, the principal one of which is 
occupied by the Underwriter's Estabhshment of the cele- 
brated Lloyd. Assurance and other ofiices are about the 
edifice, besides Library, Eeading, Statuary, and Picture 
Rooms. As I have said, it is an honor and an ornament 
to the British Metropolis. 



LETTER XXVI 



REGENTS PARK. 



Location of Regent's Park— Established by George IV. — Villas and Ter- 
races — Interview with a Policeman — Royal Botanic Gardens — Conserva- 
tory — Lily House, Victoria Regia— Astronomical Observatory — Lake- 
Zoological Gardens — From Regent's Park to Drury Lane. 



London, August 15, 1851. 
Regent's Park is on the north-west side of London, 
and embraces 450 acres. It was laid out in 1812 under 
direction of the Prince Regent, afterwards King George 
TV. UnUke most of the other parks in London, portions 
of the land have been let oflf for villas and terraces, which 
add very much to the interest and beauty of a walk, ride, 
or drive through the extensive grounds. The handsome 
villa of the Marquis of Hertford on the north-west side, 
also the terrace and gardens of Baron Goldsmid, near the 
inner circle, and the mansion and observatory of Mr. 
Bishop adjacent to the Botanic Gardens, are very con- 
spicuous ornaments. There is a road for carriages 
amongst the trees on the border of the Park, and a lake 
of irregular shape, crossed by several most elegant 
bridges, in the south-eastern portion of the grounds, near 
which are the Botanic Gardens, the best, probably, in 
Europe. The Zoological Gardens are in the northern 



297 



part of the Park. The first contains eighteen acres in a 
circle, and on it is a glass Conservatory or Winter House 
that will accommodate two thousand visitors. 

My first demonstration was for this garden. Passing 
amongst the lawns, and under the shade trees of the park, 
I in time reached the circular iron fence of the garden, 
fortified inside all the way by a beautifully trimmed hedge of 
hawthorns. I knew not where the entrance was, but fol- 
lowing the wide carriage road that encircles the garden 
outside, soon met a Police officer, who invited me to be 
seated with him on one of the beautiful benches under the 
shade of a spreading beech — the beech trees are larger 
and more ornamental than ours in America. I willingly 
improved the opportunity to get what information I could 
out of him. He explained to me all matters of interest to 
be found in the Park, and ofiered to conduct me to the 
lodge of the garden and introduce me to the porter. With 
regard to himself, he told me that his duties as Police-man 
required all his time, and each member of the corps re- 
ceives daily pay, which is not small. Noticing the silver 
letter " E." on his upright collar, I inquired like a true 
Yankee, who is sure to ask questions, what that signified ? 
He replied that the Pohce force of the city was divided 
into companies of about five hundred each, and that the 
several companies were distinguished by a letter of the al- 
phabet. He belonged to company " E,." He beheved 
that the whole force exhausted every letter of the alpha- 
bet, in which case it was easy to reckon the number of 
PoUcemen employed constantly to keep the order of the 
city, and to wait upon strangers, as consisting of thirteen 
thousand — quite an army ! But it is a civil, not a mili- 
tary one. 



298 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Arriving at a circular recess in the garden fence, I 
found there a fancy lodge, like some Grecian temple, at 
which a porter presided, whose duty it is to see that none 
but members of the Society, or persons with the proper 
tickets, pass into the enclosure. On ascertaining, howev- 
er, that I was an American, he politely iiivited me to ad- 
vance, and giving me a printed map or diagram of the 
garden, and providing me with a living guide, I entered 
under a weeping ash tree, whose pendant and osier-like 
limbs bent down to the earth. The gravelled walks were 
lined with curious shrubbery and flowers, and as I ap- 
proached the elegant cottage of the garden, I noticed two 
men on the lawn in front, with a horse, moving a machine 
that shaved the grass, took it up and combed the ground 
as with a fine tooth comb, as it passed. The spots which 
the machine could not command, as in sharp angles, and 
on the extreme lines of the lawn, were clipped with shears 
by the other workman accompanying. These lawns are 
thus shaven every few days, and kept close and tufted like 
a velvet carpet, and as clean as that on a gentleman's parlor. 
Indeed, lawns thus trimmed and dressed are common in all 
the gardens of London, and the estates of gentlemen in the 
country. The laying out of these gardens cost $175,000. 
The Conservatory is of glass, one hundred and seventy-six 
feet long by seventy-five feet wide. It is warmed by hot 
water circulating in 2,500 feet of iron pipe. Fruits and 
flowers from every country and clime, here arrested atten- 
tion and delighted the sense. It is a lovely place indeed. 
Who would not wish to spend hours and days in it, like 
Adam occupying Eden in the days of his innocency? 
Near this is a fancy building, with elegant refreshment- 



299 



rooms, attended by graceful females, who are happy to 
provide visitors with fruits and cakes, but nothing "ardent." 

One of the span-houses near by, is occupied almost en- 
tirely by a cistern, or oblong tank, containing the great 
lily, recently introduced from the Amazon River, in South 
America, called the Victoria regia. The tank in which 
this water-lily is cultivated, is twenty-seven by seven- 
teen feet, and kept warm by hot water pipes passing 
through it, and in motion by the action of a small revolv- 
ing wheel. I entered to see the floral glory of the world. 

The lily-pods, resting on the surface of the water, were 
over sixteen feet each in circumference, or more than five 
feet in diameter. Two of the Hlies were in blossom ; they 
were pure white, with light yellow centre, and more than a 
foot in diameter — the largest and richest flower in nature. 

I noticed several others, not yet opened, piercing the 
water, and about the size of cocoa-nuts. It requires great 
cost and care to rear the Victoria lily — it is a queenly 
thing. Both the air and the water in the house built for 
it, must be kept warm, almost hot, and at one temperature, 
night and day, summer and winter. There are but two 
or three other places in England where the Victoria lily 
is cultivated. 

Near these buildings in the garden is the Observatory 
of Mr. Bishop, who has a villa in the park. It is attended 
by Mr. Hinds, and was erected in 1837. Its principal 
instrument is an equatorial telescope of great power. By 
means of it, the heavens have been searched, and in 1846 
and 1847, three new comets were discovered ; also, three 
small planets have been discovered, viz.. Iris, August, 
1847, Flora, October, of the same year, and Victoria, in 
September, 1850. Mr. Hinds is probably the best star- 



300 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

gazer in England ; and as he has the most powerful appa- 
ratus, there is a prospect that he will be able to confer 
great benefits on the cause of astronomical science. 

On the south side of this park is a small lake, with 
islands therein, well covered with trees. Noble weeping- 
willows grow upon its southern margin. It lies also in 
the midst of some villas, or group of buildings, of all sizes 
and styles, belonging to some rich gentlemen, and is, on 
the whole, one of the most interesting spots in the park. 

But the best view of the whole is from Sussex Place, 
which consists of several buildings in Chinese taste, having 
a collection of octagonal towers, surmounted by a cupola 
and minarets. From this place, the grounds of the park 
appear in all their beauty, — groves, gardens, sheets of 
water, interspersed with villas, lodges, and airy bridges. 
The view is closed on the opposite side by the great dome 
of the Coliseum, and the colonnades of adjoining terraces, 
owned and occupied, — one by Lord Chester, another by 
the Duke of Cumberland, and another by the family of the 
late Duke of Cambridge. There are some of the magnifi- 
cent seats of London wealth and power, such as do not yet 
begin to be seen in America. 

Another capital object of interest in Regent's Park, are 
the Gardens of the Zoological Society. These are on the 
northern side of the park, and cover seventeen acres. It 
is a collection of living animals from all climes, the great- 
est in the world, being superior to the collections in Paris, 
Antwerp, or Vienna. There are about twenty thousand 
animals in these Gardens, some free to roam as they 
please, some under the care of attending-keepers, others 
in yards, and others still in buildings and cages made ex- 
pressly for them. Almost every rare and curious animal 



kegbnt's park. 301 

to be found anywhere on the face of the earth, is to be 
seen in the Royal Zoological Garden of Regent's Park. 
It has received contributions from the Queen of England, 
the Queen of Portugal, the Emperor of Russia, the late 
Ibraham Pacha, and from the Viceroy of Egypt. 

The animals are of all species ; but those which seem 
to attract the most attention are the Carnivora^ or Wild 
Beasts and the Pachydermata^ or thick skinned quadru- 
peds. Amongst the first, I noticed Lions and Lionesses, 
Jaguars, Pumas, Chans and the Tasmanian Wolf or Dog- 
headed Oppossum, of which no other living example has 
ever been seen in civilized life. Amongst the last named, 
are Elephants, from cubs to grand-sires, Rhinoceroses, 
Vlaek-Vack and the Hippopotamus or river horse, seen in 
the rivers of Africa. This is the only Uving specimen 
which has left Africa since the days of the Roman Empe- 
rors. He has his abode in a pond or lake formed on pur- 
pose for his majesty. The Zoological Gardens are a point 
of universal attention to all strangers in London. Every 
Saturday the Band of the First Life Guards of Her Ma- 
jesty, performs, from four to six o'clock. The admirable 
selection of music and the briliant execution of it by this 
Band, is of itself enough to attract all lovers of music to 
the Zoological Gardens. 

Regent Street leads from this Park down town some 
two or three miles, and at one point, where it intersects 
with Oxford Street, forms a circus. Still further it takes 
a graceful bend, as it sweeps round into Piccadilly, and 
the facades of the marble ranges of silk stores and jew- 
ellers' establishments, presents a beauty, especially in the 
evening, when the street is briUiantly hghted with gas, 
26 



802 GLIMPSES AND GATHEKINGS, 

absolutely enchanting. There are a great many rich and 
fashionable streets in London — such as Piccadilly, Oxford, 
Holborn, Whitehall, Strand, Cornhill, &c. but compared 
with them, Regent Street is to London what Broadway is 
to New York. But to compare the latter with that, 
however mortifying the confession may be to us as Yankees 
is a height of vanity of which no Yankee would be guilty 
after passing from Regent's Park, through Portland Place 
and Regent Street, to Drury Lane. 



LETTER XXVII 



A SABBATH AMONGST THE JEWS. 



St. Mary's Axe — The Jews in London— Anecdote of Rothschild— Rich as 
Jews— Synagogues in the City — Great St. Helen's — Interior of the 
Building— Hebrew Services— A "Pharisaic Friend— Charity of the Jews — 
Standing evidence of the truth of Christianity. 



London. August 16, 1851. 

My first Sunday in London was spent amongst the 
Good Samaritans, that is to say, in the Female Peniten- 
tiary and the Field Lane Ragged School, both of which 
institutions are supported by that Samaritan benevolence 
which knows neither sect nor party ; our second, amongst 
the Puritan Pilgrims of Union Street, Southwark, and in 
the Bunhill Fields' burying grounds, where repose the 
early fathers and the most distinguished divines of the 
Independents. In former letters, I have described the 
interesting occurrences of those days. Our first Sabbath, 
(not Sunday,) was spent amongst that still more ancient 
people of God, the Jews, in St. Mary's Axe. This is a 
part of London, near the Minories, which is the principal 
seat of Hebrew trade, and where are the two greatest 
Synagogues in the city. Why that region is called St. 
Mary's Axe, I know not ; doubtless some event transpired 
in it connected with the bloody Queen Mary's Axe, with 



304 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

which the heads of so many Protestants were cut off; but 
I never knew before that she had been canonized by the 
Pope, and become a titular Saint on account of it. In 
the Tower I saw the identical axe^ and felt the ed^e of it, 
with which the head of Queen Anne Boleyn was severed 
from her beautiful body, and with which other political 
and religious martyrs were executed ; and as this is near 
by the district of St. Mary's Axe, perhaps this name is in 
honor of that instrument. 

The Jews, by the awful decree of God, oppressed all 
over the world, are not very numerous, but some are very 
rich, in London. They are " as rich as Jews." There 
are about eighteen thousand of them in the city. They 
preserve their identity as a people with wonderful and 
sacred success. There is no admixture of Gentile blood 
— not a drop — amongst them. What they were in 
Abraham's day, they are now — men and women of noble 
forms, of raven hair, of black eyes, of brunette skins, and 
scythe-shaped noses. From their infancy they are all 
taught the Hebrew language ; this they speak and read 
alike in every part of the world ; and the languages of the 
nations amongst whom they are scattered, are always the 
acquired, never the original, languages of their families. 
They read from right to left, and all their service is in the 
Hebrew language, which is the sacred language ; as that 
of the Roman Catholics is in Latin, which is the most 
universal language among the learned. 

The Jews were banished from England in 1291 ; but 
about two hundred years ago, during the Commonwealth, 
when Oliver Cromwell, the Pur'tan, was Protector, Rabbi 
Menasseh Ben Israel, a Jew of great learmng in Amster- 
dam, petitioned Cromwell to allow his exiled brethren to 



A SABBATH AMONGST THE JEWS. 305 

return. By the tacit, though not formal, consent of 
Cromwell, the Jews did return, and from that time have 
maintained their privileges in England. Nearly all civil 
disabilities are now removed from them. Jews have been 
High Sheriflfs of London, Aldermen of the city, &c. They 
are not yet, however, allowed to be law-givers of the 
Kingdom ; but this matter has lately excited much favor- 
able discussion, and is in a fair way of being soon settled. 
The People of London, maugre the test Act, have elected 
a Jew, Baron Lionel-de-Rothschild, to a seat in Parlia- 
ment, which seat he cannot take unless he swears to sup- 
port the Christian rehgion, (which he will not do,) or 
until the Test Act is repealed. By the way, I heard an 
anecdote related of Rothschild and his election in London, 
which is too good to be omitted in this place. After his 
election, he met and feasted the People on one of the 
great Parks in London, during which festivities he took the 
stand and made a speech in favor of the largest religious 
and civil hberty. " I, fellow subjects," said he, " have 
been elected to a seat in the British Parliament ; I go 
because the people have preferred me," — " And so they 
did Barrabas ! " exclaimed a cruel Christian voice from 
the dense mass of human beings before him. It was an 
" unkind cut," and it is said the newly elected, but yet 
unseated M. P felt it very severely. 

Some of the London Jews are very wealthy — the richest 
merchants and bankers in the Kingdom. Their Stock Ex- 
change exercises a vast influence and almost controls the 
Government. Hence, on Saturdays, (the Jewish Sabbaths,) 
and Pentecost and other Festivals, there is a very great 
slackness in almost all sorts of business in London. The 
Rothschilds have several Banking Houses, in Europe, as 
26* 



306 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

in London, Frankfort, Yienna, Naples, Paris, Amsterdam 
a nd Madrid. The amount of capital employed by this 
family is estimated at one hundred and thirty millions of 
dollars. The richest one is the Baron Anselm-de-Roths- 
child, who resides in Frankfort. His private fortune is 
said to be nearly forty million. The firm gives annually 
fifty thousand dollars for the support and comfort of their 
poor Hebrew brethren. Next to the Rothschilds, Sir 
Isaac Goldsmid, is supposed to be the richest man in Eng- 
land. I do not know what he is worth ; but he has a fortune 
in Portugal alone that yields him an annual interest of one 
hundred and seventy-five thousand dollars. The two 
brothers Solomons own the most shipping of any house in 
London. Moses & Son have the largest clothing establish- 
ment in England. They fill thirteen extensive ware- 
houses. The capital employed is gigantic. The Messrs. 
Hyam have a clothing establishment about as large. The 
yearly sum they pay to tailoress girls and other help is 
one million of dollars, which is distributed amongst six 
thousand hands employed. 

These rich Jews have magnificent palaces in the western 
part of London — the Court end of the town. The 
Queen herself does not live in higher style. One of them, 
Sir Moses Montefiere, has his elegant mansion and 
garden near the Kensington Gardens, where the Duke of 
Kent, the Queen's father, lived, and before the death of 
her uncle King William IV., whilst she was yet only 
Princess Victoria, she used to borrow his keys and walk 
about the grounds attached to this Jew's mansion, with 
her mother, the Duchess of Kent. Victoria loved the old 
Jew and is very tolerant towards the Hebrew people. 
This same Sir Moses has built and now supports a Syna- 



A SABBATH AMONGST THE JEWS. 307 

gogue at his country seat down at Ramsgate, on the Eng- 
lish Channel. 

There are, I beheve, twelve Synagogues in London, the 
most splendid of which is the new one on Great St. 
Helen's, Bishopsgate, a most elegant and ornamental 
structure. Here is where the Rothschilds worship. Jesus 
said to his disciples — "be not ye called Rabbi," but 
these are called Rabbi — Rabbi, and occupy the chief 
seats. 

My third Sabbath (Jewish) in London was spent in this 
Synagogue. Leaving our lodgings on Swinton street in 
the morning, I went down the City Road to the General 
Post office on St. Martin's-le-Grand, and thence proceeded 
along Cheapside, Cornhill, and Leaden-Hall streets to St. 
Mary's Axe, with which great St. Helen's is connected. 
Here I found the New Synagogue. It is a marble edifice. 
I entered, and attempted to pass up the gallery stairs, but 
was instantly headed by a door-keeper of the house of 
God, who politely informed me that the females were in 
the gallery and it was not lawful for gentlemen to ascend 
the stairs. He conducted me to the body of the house, 
on entering which my eyes were dazzled with a richness I 
never saw before. I almost doubt whether Solomon's 
Temple in Jerusalem exceeded this for splendor. The 
sculptured marble columns, resting upon the ground, arose 
to support the gallery floor, and thence ascended to the 
base of the third story of the edifice, which being narrower 
than the main building, admitted a row of stained glass 
arches which surmounted the capitals of the huge columns. 
All the seats for worshippers on the main floor, were under 
the galleries on both sides, and consisted of elegant long 
sofas, the tiers rising one above the other, and all looking 



308 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

into the nave, or space between the marble pillars. The 
floor was mosaic pavement, of blue and white marble. At 
the end, (where we have our pulpits,) was a large semi- 
circular recess — the holy place, where were kept the 
Ark of the Covenant, the sacred Rolls, Vestments, &c. 
In front of it was a semi-circular row of red marble 
columns, supporting a dome in the upper roof, studded 
with stars as if in blue heavens. Beneath the dome, and 
over the Ark, was a large arched window of stained glass, 
divided into two parts, on one of which the incommunica- 
ble Name, Jehovah, was inscribed in Hebrew characters, 
and on the other, the Ten Commandments, also in Hebrew. 
The doors of the holy place were poHshed panel work, 
screened by a curtain of silk and gold. 

In the centre of the room was a large platform, one step 
high, richly carpeted. On this was another elevation three 
steps high, like a square pew, with panelled sides of 
polished ebony. From its base projected, upon the first 
platform, a row of mahogany arm-chair fixtures ; those in 
front, three in number, looking towards the holy place, 
being elegantly cushioned. These were occupied by one 
of the Rothschilds and some other Jewish dignitaries. 
The officiating characters occupied the altar, or great pew, 
on the upper platform. In the centre of it was a desk, 
and seats on three sides facing it. The Reader presided 
at the desk, and the choir surrounded him. All had their 
hats on and wore tollises, or drab mantles of silk, with 
wide blue stripes and fringes at the bottom. Some had 
stripes of gold lace, and one or two wore golden hat-bands 
and lace trimmings on their coat and vest pockets. 

The first story inside was of the Doric order, fin'shed in 
pilasters, and painted in imitation of verde antique on a 



A SABBATH AMONGST THE JEWS. 309 

porphyry ground. The second story, or gallery occupied 
by the ladies, was of the Corinthian order, finished in 
pillars and pilasters, with windows in the inter-columns, of 
a rich arabesque pattern in stained glass. The ceiling 
was a semi-dome, containing gilded flowers on an azure 
ground. Chandeliers were suspended from gilded cranes 
projecting from the two stories of gallery fronts. The 
gallery walls were of carved wood, poHshed, surmounted 
by a gilded frame-work, like a coarse gold netting, through 
which the jet black eyes of the beautiful Jewesses peeped 
out to witness the worship of the men below — for it is 
said — I avouch not for the truth of the saying — that 
Jews hold that women have no souls, and therefore have 
no other interest in worship than to look on reverently. 

I took a seat upon one of the side sofas or couches, 
with an old Jew, who noticing I was a stranger, was very 
willing to instruct me how to worship with him. The con- 
gregation was not large. All had tollises and wore hats. 
I took off mine for the purpose of taking some paper there- 
from, but the old Jew instantly crowded it on my head 
again, telHng me I must not take my hat off there. He 
and all present were armed with Hebrew Prayer Books. 
The officiating party in the Altar consisted of fourteen 
men — some old and venerable, some young and active. 
Each seemed to have his part to perform. I could under- 
stand nothing — every word read or chanted was in 
Hebrew. All seemed to be very devout and intensely 
engaged when their turns came to read or respond ; but 
when it was not their turns, they were on hand for any 
sort of conversation. At such times my old Pharisaic 
friend was very communicative. But I sometimes was 
started, when in the midst of his conversation, to hear 



310 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

him instantly bellow out some Hebrew word, or sentence ; 
utterino; it as if his soul were full of devotion, and was 
swelling his cheeks and pushing out his eyes for bursting 
into the outward world. Much of the service appeared 
to be chantings. The reading of the prayers and lessons 
was not all simultaneous. 

After a while, the officiating corps formed a procession 
and approached the Holy Place with hats off. The silk 
and golden curtain was drawn, making a noise through 
the arches like the letting off steam from an engine. Then 
the rich doors were opened, and the sacred Roll contain- 
ing the Law was taken out. The whole congregation 
joined the procession and marched several times with the 
most devout looks around the Altar, ejaculating Hebrew 
prayers and praises as they marched. In due time it was 
returned to the sacred place in due form and there con- 
cealed not to be taken out again till another Sabbath. 

I saw no real Priest till the service was over. Then a 
grave old man, clad in a black surplice and bands, with a 
broad brimmed beaver, and long grey beard, came out of 
a door near the Ark and passed through the Temple. 
Not one word of English did I hear or see, except a 
Prayer for the Queen and Prince Albert. This was 
inscribed over the Law. 

The old gentleman with whom I sat said he knew Major 
Noah, of New York, when he was out to England a few 
years ago, and spoke of America with strong hopes. He 
said he had a son in New York and another in St. Louis. 
I desired to purchase one of the Jewish Service Books in 
use in the Synagogue, to bring home as a curiosity. He 
could not accoommodate me that day (Saturday,) as it was 
contrary to their law to do business on the Sabbath ; but 



A SABBATH AMONGST THE JEWS. 311 

the next day, if I would call, which would be on our Sun- 
day, the Jewish shops would all be open and he would go 
with me and see that I was provided for. To be sure that 
I should not miss of him he took me to his house. No. 8 
St. James' Place, entertained me kindly, and then went 
with me across the square to the great Synagogue on Duke 
street, which is larger, though not so rich, as that I had 
just left. 

It is to the credit of the Jews that they allow none of 
their poor to sufifer. Never do they become paupers, or 
solicit charity from others. They take care of their own 
poor. I wish as much could be said for all Christians. 

I felt whilst in that Synagogue to be carried back to our 
Saviour's time — nay, to the days of Moses of old; for 
the Jewish forms and ceremonies are now the same as 
then. By visiting the Synagogue as I did, I saw just 
how things were conducted by Moses and Aaron. Who 
could but feel solemn and reverent in such a place ? 

The present condition of the Jews is one of the highest 
proofs of the truth of Christianity ; — the prophecies of 
Christ were true, because fulfilled in the living history of 
that most peculiar people. They are blinded and cannot 
see. And in this blindness they must remain till the ful- 
ness of the Gentiles be come in, and so all Israel shall be 
saved. 



LETTER XXYIII. 

A SUNDAY IN PURSUIT OF CHRISTIANS. 

Finsbury Square — Mr. Fox — Disappointment — Search for Dr. "Watt's 
Church — Ignorance of such a man — Bishop's Gate Street Church — 
Protestant Sect — A Matron's Conjecture — St. Botolph's Church — 
An Arrival from France. 

London, August 17, 1851. 
I HAVE been in pursuit of some Christian congregation 
to-day, but have hardly been able to find it. After break- 
fast, which was not served till half-past nine o'clock, I 
walked down to Hatton Garden, where brother Hemphill 
boards, and invited him to walk with me to Finsbury 
Square, and hear Mr. Fox in the forenoon, and thence, in 
the afternoon, worship in the house where Dr. Isaac Watts 
used to preach. Taking Smithfield on our way, we suc- 
ceeded in finding Mr. Fox's church, but not in finding Mr. 
Fox. He is the most eloquent preacher (a Unitarian) in 
London ; but being a Member of ParHament, which is now 
in session, he will not preach till autumn. Indeed, when 
he is at home, he can hardly be said to preach ; rather, 
he delivers philosophical disquisitions. I was sorry to 
hear his Unitarian brethren whisper certain things not so 
favorable to some of his habits as could be wished. Rev. 
Henry Colman, when he was in London, was very much 
taken up with Mr. Fox's preaching, and especially with 



A SUNDAY IN PURSUIT OP CHRISTIANS. 313 

the music in his church. I should have liked to hear 
both ; but there were only a few persons in the house, and 
not being able to ascertain who, if any one, would preach, 
we started to find Dr. Watts' old meeting-house, where his 
Psalms and Hymns were first read by himself, and sung 
by his congregation. 

The sexton of Bunhill Fields had given us, as a general 
direction, that we should find it in the neighborhood of 
Houndsditch. We looked all about Houndsditch, but 
could find no one who was able to tell us where such a 
man as Dr. Watts ever preached. Then we made a point 
to visit every church we could find in that neighborhood, 
and inquire. Entering one on Bishop's Gate Street, we 
inquired of the sexton, " What church, Sir, is this ? " 
" Bishop's Gate Street Church, if you please." Of course, 
we knew it was Bishop's Gate Street Church ; " but, to 
what denomination does it belong? " He looked lost, and 
could not comprehend such a question. To make the in- 
quiry more intelligible, we asked him next, " What sect 
worships here ? " " 0," said he, '' the Protestant — the 
Protestant." Judging from the furniture that it was an 
Episcopal Churoh, we asked him if he could inform U3 
where the church is, in which the celebrated Dr. Watts 
preached in his life-time ? He never heard of such a 
man ! Then we went into the street, and looked further. 
Coming to a corner, we met a portly policeman, of whom 
we inquired if he could infer i us where the church is, in 
which Dr. Watts used to preach. " Sure, Sir, I cannot ; 
but I can tell you where Cardinal Wiseman will lecture 
this day week." He was evidently an Irish Catholic 
himself, interested in the new Cardinal. 
2T 



314 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

On we went, inquiring of every person that we thought 
might give us the desired information ; but nobody ever 
heard of such a man as Dr. Isaac Watts. Directly, it began 
to rain, and we sought shelter in a shop, the door of which 
was open. There, too, we inquired ; the man could not 
tell us ; but he would call an old lady in from a rear apart- 
ment, who knew everything — perhaps she could inform 
us. She entered, looking like the very impersonation of 
wisdom. She knew all about it, or rather, she did not 
hnoiv anything about it, only she guessed that the church 
was burnt down when she was a child — viz., during the 
great fire in 1660, nearly two hundred years ago, long 
before Watts lived ! 

On we passed in the rain till we reached the corner of 
Houndsditch and Aldgate High Street, where, seeing a 
church, and it raining very hard, we resolved to 
enter, and find some Christian congregation, if possible. 
Passing from the basement, we entered the vestibule 
of the main floor. The services were partially through. 
A couple of elderly ladies came out of the main 
room, and invited us in. We renewed our old in- 
quiries, but could learn nothing of Dr. Watt's church, 
only that that was St. Botolph's Church ; and so we en- 
tered, and were seated in a pew. It was an Episcopal 
establishment — the richest we ever were in. It seemed 
to have half a dozen priests, and as many pulpits. Carv- 
ings and gold-leaf were abundant. The front pews were 
canopied, and the walls were crowded with tablets, con- 
taining inscriptions of deceased men, telling 

" Not what they were, but what they should have been." 



A SUNDAY m PURSUIT OF CHRISTIANS. 815 

The music, I must say, was superior to any music I 
ever heard in a church before. There were not many 
voices, but they were perfect. In due time, one of the 
priests mounted a rostrum, built up where a pew ordinarily 
is, and preached a sermon from the text, " Prove all 
things." I listened as closely as I was able, but could 
not succeed in getting a single idea from his sermon. It 
was labor all lost, except as he got his pay for it ; perhaps 
he bought the sermon in a JtiTewgate book-store on 
Saturday. 

Thus, not being able to find the objects of our pursuit, 
we gave it up as a bad job. The rain poured in torrents, 
and entering an omnibus, I rode to King's Cross, and 
thence walked to my lodgings, where I was made glad to 
find my son, having arrived, during my absence, from 
Paris. He was very much exhausted, however, after the 
long land journey from Paris to Boulogne, thence across 
the English Channel, by a sleepless night in the steamer 
to Southampton, from which place he had proceeded di- 
rectly to London, without sleeping, and almost without 
food. He needed rest — and so did I — we took it 
together, on the remaining hours of this Day of Best. 



LETTER XXIX. 



[In the following Letters, on the subject of the Crystal Palace, and the great 
Exhibition therein, it is deemed unnecessary to date, them specifically. The author's 
observations, though mostly made from the middle to the close of the month, run 
through nearly the whole of August, deducting only such hours, and some days, in 
which he was investigating matters of interest in the city or country. He regrets 
now not to have room enough left in this work for all he could wish to say on the 
Congress of Industry and Peace. He might, indeed, write another Book as large 
as this, on the Contents of the Palace. At present, however, he can do no more — 
and certainly no less — than to give his readers a general idea of that immense 
Exhibition.] 

THE GKEAT EXHIBITION. 

Ride on Oxford Street — Crossing Hyde Park — Objects outside the Pal- 
ace — Entering — Description of the Interior — The American De- 
partment — Commissioners — The United States in comparison with 
other Nations — Number of Contributions — Premiums on articles from 
America. 

Breakfast being disposed of, come, kind reader, let 
us walk together three-fourths of a mile to Holborn 
Hill, and there take an omnibus that passes through Ox- 
ford Street, one of the richest in London, two or three 
miles westward to the northern line of Hyde Park, and 
alight at one of the triumphal Arches of exquisitely wrought 
marble, through which we enter that vast and beautiful 
area. The Crystal Palace is on the opposite, or southern 
side of the park, near Knightsbridge road, which bounds 
the park on the south, as Oxford Street does on the north. 
The distance across is nearly a mile. The way is direct 
and beautiful, being over green fields of closely cropped 
grass, shaded promiscuously by English oaks, mulberries, 



THE CxREAT EXHIBITION. 317 

and elms. As we proceed, it seems as if the greatest 
" meeting " we ever saw was just dismissed, and all the 
people were walking with us to a common attraction in the 
distance. See that herd of deer feeding on the lawn; 
notice those ladies and gentlemen sitting upon circular 
seats in the shade of those trees ; witness the crystal 
waters of the serpentine lake before us, which we must 
cross by means of an airy bridge, and on whose bosom 
boats and swans are sailing ; look you in a south-easterly 
direction, where Hyde Park unites with Green Park, on 
which the Queen's Palace, that fronts upon St. James's 
Park, is situated, and remark that colossal statue, in mid- 
heaven, towering above the trees. It is upon a marble 
arch of an immense gateway that leads from this Park on 
to Constitution Hill in the Green Park, and represents the 
Duke of Wellington, astride of his noble war-horse, with a 
spy-glass in his right hand, and a cloak hanging from his 
shoulders. The statue is of bronze, and so large, that all 
the essential features of the horse and his rider are clearly 
visible at a great distance. Having crossed the bridge of 
the Serpentine, after halting at. its clean shores for a mo- 
ment to bathe our hands, and gather a flint pebble, we enter 
that part of the park, which is the thoroughfare to the 
Palace from another part of the city, so that the swarms 
of people are now more than doubled. There is no longer 
any green grass ; footsteps going to the Palace have trod 
these many acres so constantly all over, that the whole 
surface on open grounds, and under the trees, is as bare 
and smooth as a hard and level sea-beach. The trees, 
however, are green and handsome, and their cooling shades 
refreshing in this hot day. 
27^ 



818 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

You have seen pictures of the Crystal Palace. They 
are generally correct, but come much short on paper of 
what the mammoth edifice is in glass. You know it is an 
oblong building covering almost twenty acres of ground, 
the first story of which is so high as to constitute two 
stories on the inside, and the second (really the third) is 
narrower, resting on the first the entire length. From the 
eaves of the main story, as also from the upper terrace 
above it, are rods pointing heaven-ward, on which the 
colors of all nations are displayed in the wind. We 
are at the east end, which is the grand entrance. The 
Stars and Stripes wave over the doors and indeed extend 
along the entire top of the east end of the building — so 
every body that enters must pass under the flag of our 
Union. The United States are feared and respected 
more than any other nation. Our skill, our naval and 
military prowess, our intelligence, our free institutions, 
and our great and glorious country, so full and rich in 
natural resources, make us the wonder and admiration of 
the world. I never saw and felt the truth of this state- 
ment so veritably as I have ever since I came into Eng- 
land. I am proud of my country — and to be able to 
say, wherever I am — I am an American ! The an- 
nouncement always commands attention and respect. 

The Palace is near the southern border of the Park 
near Knightsbridge Street, that leads into Piccadilly, 
which is the residence of the foreign ministers. On that 
street opposite the Palace, Prince Albert has built one or 
two small blocks of model cottages, as examples for poor 
people, made of hollow brick, walls, floors and partitions, 
the rest is iron even to the sinks and bedsteads. They 
are open for inspection. On the other side of the Palace, 



THE GREAT EXHIBITION. 319 

namely northward, some hundred rods distant, is Serpen- 
tine river or lake, running through the centre of the park. 
A full rigged minature ship is sailing upon it with royal 
parties ; also a great many curious boats are there. The 
view of this lake through the trees from the Palace yard 
is enchanting. Seats are under the trees, and by the 
shores. In the yard, at the east point of the Palace, is a 
tall white granite crucifix, as large as life or death, resting 
upon a square pedestal of the same material, on which is 
engraved " Sweden — 100." Near this is a jet d'eau, in 
the yellow marble basin of which several aquatic animals 
in bronze, with their heads just above water, are spout- 
ing or spitting up large and small streams of water, that 
cross each other at angles, and constituting curious figures 
on their courses. A long black Life Boat, also lies in 
this yard, made for the French Navy in 1846. In front, 
too, is a unique canvas tent, made by Burman Boys, 
enclosed in an iron fence that is made of iron palings, 
crossing each other at right angles, two ends of which 
stride the ground, and the other two pierce outwards and 
inwards. Though there is no climbing over it, a British 
soldier with his red coat, fur hat and bright gun is always 
marching within the line of the fence on a path which his 
own footsteps have made bare. 

Now let us approach one of the eight end doors, each 
closed by a cross turnstile and guarded by a collector ,pay 
our shilling and enter that sparkling Palace which, with 
its contents, has called all nations, or some from all 
nations, together on this ever memorable summer ; — an 
occasion, the efiects of which may, perhaps, be forever 
felt upon the industrial, the commercial and the social 
conditions of our One Great Human Brotherhood. 



320 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

You are now in, and behold the interior of the edifice, 
which is cruciform. Halt a moment. Stand and gaze. 
What a WORLD is before you ! Cast your eye along the 
principal nave- to the farther end of the Palace — a dis- 
tance of eighteen hundred and fifty-one feet ! See the 
statues, the canopies, the fountains, the trees, on a line, 
running in the middle of the nave, or great central aisle, 
from you to the extreme end of the building. Half way 
down you see where the transept, crosses this avenue, 
thus making the interior in shape of a crucifix. Look 
now in from the sides of the nave, under the gallery, 
amongst the arches, into the innumerable saloons, large 
and small, occupied by the various specimens of art and 
industry brought here and appropriately arranged amongst 
the National Departments. Cast your eyes up to the 
three galleries on both sides, the walls of which are a 
light blue iron network lined on the inside with scarlet 
tapestry, and from which are displayed signs of the 
names of States and Nations, coats-of-arms, banners, 
crystal chandeliers in gilded frame work, &c. Those 
galleries have occasionally open quadrangular spaces, 
with bannisters and gallery walls around them like the 
principal ones, to enable those above to look down into 
the lower saloons, and those on the main floor to get 
glimpses of the recesses, alcoves, arch-ways, . rooms and 
saloons above them. The walls of these quadrangular 
galleries are also hung with devices, paintings, images, 
&c. Thus you look up to the roofs which, like the walls, 
are of pure glass, but screen edin some places from the 
sun's rays by a white canvas drawn over them. The 
first roof on the side portions, is forty-four feet high, the 
second sixty-six. That of the central transept, we have 



THE GREAT EXHIBITION. 321 

already noticed, is 108 feet in height. The vast floor is of 
planed narrow plank laid half an inch a part that the dirt 
may fall through. Everything is clean, and the air sweet. 
Great pains have been taken to have the building well 
ventilated, and to preserve the air as sweet as it is in the 
adjacent Park. Each Nation's Department is furnished 
with floor room, elevated platforms, pyramidal shelves, 
counters, tables, glass cases resting against the walls, and 
whatever else is necessary for the reception and display 
of any thing and every thing that the world could bring 
together as the results of labor, skill, taste and science. 
And the spaces allotted are all occupied. 

Now look at the People ! Mixed in moving masses 
amongst all these objects of utility or curiosity are men 
and women of every nation, language and costume, from 
Sunny Ind to Central America, to the number this moment 
of perhaps seventy thousand human beings ! Did you 
ever see such a sight, amidst such splendor, such wealth 
and magnificence ? Since the days of Adam to this time, 
never was such a sight beheld as we now look upon ! 

As we have entered the east end of the Palace, — the 
place of light — we find ourselves, first of all, in the Amer- 
ican Department, amongst the matters and things brought 
here by our own countrymen. This embraces the whole 
width of the Palace, 456 feet, exclusive of the machinery 
rooms on the north side, occupying perhaps as great a dis- 
tance down the length of the building. It also has more 
gallery room than others, for besides the side galleries, it 
has the whole of the galleries across the east end of the 
building, which are like the singing galleries, — if there 
were two, one above the other — of our churches. An 
immense organ stands at the head of the first gallery, 



322 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

that has the American Eagle perched upon it, with golden 
wings spread in the act of rising, like our own rising 
States, bearing the Republican crest in his beak, a quiver 
of arrows in his talons, and half enfolded in the American 
Flag, whose stars and stripes stand at the very head of 
the Nave, and reach down to the heads of the people. 
The first words that meet our eyes, are scarlet sign cloths 
trimmed with white, with the words " United States" 
inscribed upon them also in white letters. These are 
stretched just along the base of the middle gallery walls. 
Beneath them, on the main gallery walls, on a blue field 
with white letters, are arranged the names of our States, 
beginning on the right with Maine and extending 
around the head of the organ gallery to a point on the 
left side opposite to Maine, where appears the name of 
our youngest sister, the golden State of California. I 
believe every State is represented. 

But we must not stop to admire here. Let us report 
ourselves to the American Office on our right, examine 
the book that contains the names of American visitors and 
have you record your own with the number. Mine was 
there on my first arrival, in July. Mr. Riddle., the United 
States Commissioner is not present ; but his Secretary, 
N. S. Dodge, Esq., of Springfield, Mass., is, as also is 
his assistant, Mr. Morey, of Plymouth, Mass. They are 
heartily glad to see us and will give us any information, 
assistance or advice which we may need. Let us look at 
the book. There are sixteen hundred names in it ; but 
from some cause or other, not one half of our countrymen 
who visit the Palace call for the book or write their names 
in it. Running over the list we notice more from New 
York and Boston than elsewhere. 



THE GREAT EXHIBITION. 323 

I find the announcement of but six State Commission- 
ers, besides myself — viz. Col. Kimmel, of Maryland, J. 
M. Jones, of Texas, S. C. Duncan, of Louisiana, N. 
Kingsbury, of Connecticut, John S. Cunningham, of Vir- 
ginia, and B. P. Johnson, of New York. I am sure, 
however, there are Commissioners here from Pennsyl- 
vania, and that Gen. Boyd, if not also Mr. Wetherell, 
of our own State, was present at the grand opening in 
May. 

Before we go forth to view the articles exhibited 
throughout the Palace, let us ascertain first how our own 
country stands in competition with other nations here 
assembled. We are the more desirous to do this, because 
judging from certain London papers which we saw before 
leaving home, we feel some interest to know whether we 
are to hold up our head with pride, or depress it in shame 
as we pass amongst the nations here represented. 

There are reasons why the great expectations enter- 
tained by the English government and people in relation 
to the Daughter coming over the water to outdo the 
Mother in matters of skill and taste, should not have been 
realized. England knew, indeed, that the Yankees were 
an ingenious and enterprising people ; that they are almost 
omnipotent when they set out ; and as the British subjects 
supposed we should have some natural pride at stake, they 
gave us large and honored room in the Palace, and went 
to work with might and main lest Brother Jonathan should 
beat John Bull even on his own Island. But the truth is, 
America is a great country, and has not yet been reduced 
to the necessity of coming down to small matters of 
useless skill and taste. Every thing with her is on a large 
scale. She would be proud to exhibit here — not an 



324 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Island, not a Principality, not even a Kingdom ; but a 
vast Continent, as large as all the Kingdoms and Empires 
of Europe. She would be glad to carry over to the Glass 
Palace her Ohio, her Missouri and her Mississippi Rivers ; 
her Niagara Falls ; her Alleghany Mountains ; her Lakes 
Superior, her Michigan and her Erie ; her fertile prairies, 
her interminable forests, and her boundless water power. 
In works of art she would be pleased to exhibit her Erie 
Canal, her thousands of miles of continuous Railroads, 
her incomparably beautiful and well built merchant ships, 
&c. But these in which her peculiar glory consists, she 
cannot bring hither in competition with the London dolls, 
or the Paris glass head-dresses. The challenge did not 
meet such tokens of greatness. Of course, therefore, 
those who came to the Fair expecting to see great Amer- 
ioa emptying microscopic works upon the floors and tables 
of the Palace, with a view to outdo Italy and Germany 
and France, or even England, in bizarre trinkets, and in 
some of the fine arts, must be disappointed. 

And then again — saying nothing of the greater distance 
America is from the Exhibition than are the European 
nations, and of the expense in transmitting articles on 
a sea-voyage across the Atlantic ocean, — there is one 
fact which should be frankly considered in the eyes of the 
world. With the United States there is not that motive 
to be represented in this Great Fair, that has influenced 
the people of most other countries to bring their products 
and manufactures here for exhibition. Those nations 
have a motive immediately selfish. They come to make 
the Crystal Palace an advertising shop for their wares. 
They come to find out new and profitable markets. All 
these nations have to go away from home to find a sale for 



THE GREAT EXHIBITION. 325 

goods. America, on the contrary, is her own market 
nation, and at the same time is the best market, the other 
nations can covet No American comes here to make a 
market for his manufactures in England or any other part 
of Europe. Our people come only for honorable, not a 
selfish or mercenary, competition. 

There is not, therefore, that motive which should induce 
Americans to bring their articles for advertisement in the 
Fair. For instance ; there are carriages here from Massa- 
chusetts and New York, that the proprietors are very 
willing any body in England should make and sell ad 
libitum. But an unexpected fact has transpired. No 
mechanic in England can make such carriages ; and the 
consequence is, high as the American price be, the New 
England manufacturers are called upon by the gentry here to 
send them over at va\j cost. So also of our Railroad Cars, 
India Rubber goods, and various other articles. Their 
superiority is so decided, that they will force themselves 
into the market of the world ; — but this was not expected, 
nor did it constitute the motive which brought them 
here. 

Now, though at first our Department was not full, and 
there were not many /ne articles in it — a fact which gave 
an opportunity to the London Editors to sneer at Brother 
Jonathan, and express their surprise, that we should not 
have been as ample in supplying as the English Govern- 
ment was in providing the room, and the best room ; yet 
I am happy to say, within a fortnight, over seventy pack- 
ages have arrived from America, which, with what we had 
before, amounts to six hundred and fifty Contributors from 
the United States. The articles contributed are much 
28 



326 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

more numerous. Our Department now, large as it is, is 
quite well filled, — as full as we could desire. 

There is another fact in connection with this matter that 
is highly encouraging. The United States will take more 
Premiums than any other fiation, according to the number 
of articles exhibited. And the reason is, we have sent 
out those articles which come within the design of the 
Exhibition — viz., new inventions and improvements. It 
is the useful that takes the Premiums, and therefore it is 
that America will lead all the others. Is not this enough 
for our national pride ? But this is not all. The great 
medal on agricultural implements goes to our country for 
the Reaping Machine, and the great one on cloth fabrics 
to us, for India Rubber vulcanized goods. Prouty & Mears 
are to have the Premium on their Plough, No. 40, and 
our good Kennebec friend, Dunn, of North Wayne, is to 
receive the great medal for his Scythes. 

In point of Inventions, Palmer's Artificial Leg is pro- 
nounced the first thing in the Exhibition. He will make 
his fortune by it. It has been taken to English Colleges, 
and examined by the Medical Faculties, who have returned 
it with astonishment and admiration for brother Jonathan's 
inventive genius. Hereafter, it will hardly be necessary 
for a man to have that kind of legs which suffer from cold 
and wet feet. And thus I might go on. I am not ashamed 
of my country in the Great Exhibition. I am satisfied — 
I am proud for her sake. We shall lose nothing by the 
great occasion which has brought all Nations here. 



LETTER XXX. 

WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 

Advancing upon the Eastern Nave — American Bridge — Poetic Inscrip- 
tion — Greejc Slave — American Indian — Newspaper Trophy — Heaping 
Machine — Hobbs' Lock — Artificial Leg — Various Articles — The 
Wounded Achilles — Child, Snake and Dog — Jewels of Victoria and 
the Queen of Portugal — Shield of Faith — Koh-i-noor Diamond — Queen's 
Cradle — Portraits of Victoria and Albert — Crystal Fountain — Tall 
Trees — Statuary — View from the Transept Gallery — Arrival of her 
Majesty — Instance of her kind feelings. 

Having entered the eastern end of tide Palace, taken a 
^general view of the immense Interior, reported ourselves at 
the American Office, and ascertained how stands our 
Country in comparison with other Nations, let us now at- 
tempt a few Walks upon the eighteen (nay, including 
the gallerj floor, the twenty-two), acres before us. Starting 
from the central entrance door, and looking towards its 
corresponding one at the west end, let us advance along 
the Nave, half way down the building to the Transept, 
thence ascend the gallery, and take a view from that grand 
centre of beauty and wealth. 

The first object we meet is a mammoth brass bell, hung in 
an ornamental frame, and which is rung every day at the 
opening and close of the Great Exhibition. Next beyond 
this, is Ryder's American Patent Suspension Truss Bridge. 
This is just in front of the gallery that crosses the eastern 
end, and under the great organ, on which is the American 



828 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Eagle displaying the Stars and Stripes. On this Bridge 
is erected Goodjear's (N. Y.) Trophy of India Rubber 
Vulcanized Goods, consisting of large pontoons, buoys, 
life-boats, veneering, coats, hats, boots, &c. This takes 
the Premium on such fabrics. On its left side is portrayed 
a Dial of the Seasons in a series of hieroglyphics of ani- 
mals, men, ships, &c. It is the invention of Thomas 
Fisher, of Philadelphia. Two American Indians, in 
aboriginal costumes, stand erect upon the further end of 
the Bridge. They are enough to frighten any European. 
Let us ascend and pass over this Trophy, as, every one 
does who enters the east end ; and the first thing we no- 
tice, as we stand upon this American elevation, are the 
following beautiful lines inscribed upon its right side — if 
not by the authority, at least, by the approbation of 
England's virtuous and peaceful Queen. 

" Within this grand and hallowed fane, with chastened feelings tread, 

For here a vast assembled train, by various impulse led, 

Stand where Britannia's favored Queen joins heartfelt prayer that heaven 

Would raise from this commingling scene a peace-pervading leaven; 

And may the prayer an echo find in each admiring breast, " 

That Peace may fraternize mankind, and every Land be blest ! " 

This generous wish, this Godlike prayer of Victoria 
is expressed for all the Nations, first through the United 
States of America — the Anglo Saxon daughter of the 
great commercial mistress of the world. It is, as I have 
said, inscribed upon the American Trophy, and must be 
seen and read by every visitor who enters the Palace 
through the American Department at the east, which is 
the main entrance. I believe that one of the surest and 
most glorious results of this Industrial Congress of the 
World will be to fraternize the nations and extinguish the 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 329 

triumphs of war in the greater triumphs of the Peaceful 
Arts. y 

Proceeding along the nave, the next object we meet is 
Powers'' Greek Slave. This, bj the consent of all, is the 
best specimen of sculpture beauty in the Palace, where 
there is so much from Italy, Germany and England. 
Powers' great gift lies in the delineation of beauty. 
Perhaps he could not chisel an Achilles so well ; but give 
him beauty for a subject, and Canova himself will not take 
the palm from the American Powers. The Greek Slave 
takes a Prize Medal. 

Near this, is another specimen of American sculpture, 
by Peter Stephenson, of Boston. It is the first statue 
ever cut in American marble, and represents a North 
American Indian fatally wounded by an arrow in the 
abdomen, just as he was prepared to discharge his own, 
and having withdrawn it with one hand he rests the other 
with the arrow in it, upon his right knee, bending in the 
agonies of death. It is a most expressive and truthful 
representation. 

Next is the Newspaper Trophy, erected in a glass case, \ 
and containing specimens of Yankee newspapers of all 
sizes, and as being peculiarly American for their uni- 
versality and cheapness. A paper which here costs a 
subscriber four cents, would, if printed in England, cost 
the reader fourteen cents. It is said that when Prince 
Albert first noticed this Trophy, with Victoria at his side, 
he whispered in her Majesty's ear, saying he had just 
now found out the secret of American liberty : — " it is, 
said he, owing to a Free Press, and a generous patronage 
of the Newspapers ! " I pledge every Editor in the 
United States to re-affirm this doctrine. / 

28* 



330 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

McCorinick's Virginia Reaping machine is in the 
American room devoted to agricultural implements. It 
has four sail-like surfaces, which moved by a wheel at the 
side, press the grain to the knife which runs near the 
ground. This knife is so constructed as to separate the 
straw into small parcels before it cuts them, and the 
machine lays them upon a flat platform behind, as fast as 
five men can gather and bind them up. It will reap 
twenty five acres per day. It was tried on various fields 
near London, and satisfied all the juries, that it is entitled 
to the greatest Premium of the Fair. 

Mr. E. Page, of Boston, has a sample of superior oars, 
or sweeps, which attract much attention, and on which he 
will make his fortune. 

Yonder is the Iron Safe, with Hobbs' lock, to pick 
which, he offered a reward of two hundred guineas. This 
sum he gained of an English competitor by picking his 
and all other locks offered him ; but though he allowed 
any person the use of his tools, and offered the above 
reward for success on his lock, no one could be found able 
to pick it. This was a great triumph, and he celebrated 
it by coverting his two hundred pounds English money 
won, into American gold pieces and exhibiting them under 
a glass vase in the Palace. The subject caused much 
excitement ; and now a London paper makes a loud ap- 
peal that some English burglar /or the honor of his coun- 
try/, would come forth and pick this Yankee lock. 

The next object in the nave, is a model in wood, of 
the Falls of Niagara — such a curiosity as none of the 
other Nations can show, but which claims no premium. 

Beyond this is a huge block of Zinc, resting like a great 
rock on the floor, from New Jersey, weighing 16,400 lbs. 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 331 

Connecticut clocks are every where ; and so they are 
here in all their variety and wonderful cheapness. John 
Bull marvels beyond measure how brother Jonathan can 
get up clocks so much better than his own, and at not 
a fourth part the cost. Dent, Her Majesty's clock 
maker, however, has a greater clock in the Exhibition ; 
— it works four Dials of twelve feet each in diameter. 

Near the columns that support the gallery on the left side 
are specimens of silver and pearls, also a jasper vase, and 
statues of Adam and Eve, of the fisher boy, of the hunter 
and panther ; lamps, candelebras, harnesses, &c. Farther 
in, under the gallery, is a mass of American copper from 
Lake Superior, weighing 2,544 lbs ; also specimens of our 
iron, lead, abestos and California gold and quicksilver. 
Here too are barrels of flour, beef, pork, rice, corn, 
wheat, &c. — showing the European Nations on what the 
Republican people Hve, and where they can go, when 
hungry, for enough to eat. Chairs, patent bedsteads, 
piana-fortes, improved bell telegraph, axes, scythes, on 
which our Kennebec Dunn receives a premium, and other 
edge tools, portable beds, cordage, saddlery, carpets, 
boots and shoes, soaps, locks, &c. are amongst the other 
Yankee articles in the Exhibition. There is an article 
here called the meat biscuit from Texas, that will take a 
premium. Some of the best daguerreotypes ever seen, are 
m the American Department — particularly the likeness 
of some Vermont young ladies, and of several American 
Statesmen ; such as Webster, Clay, Calhoun, Taylor, 
Fillmore, Scott, Houston, Cass, Stuart, &c. 

But we must hurry along the nave, or we shall never 
reach the Transept. 



332 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Passing out of the American Department, we enter 
upon the ZoUveren States. As Prince Albert, the father 
of the Exhibition, is a German, he has succeeded in 
obtaining an extensive and highly creditable representation 
from those States. With the exception of England and 
France, Germany has more in the show than any other 
nation. 

In the nave are statues of Stuttgard horses, the Bava- 
rian Lion, the Amazon and Tiger — a splendid sculpture, 
— the wounded Achilles, struck in the heel, the only 
vulnerable point, looking more astonished than in pain, as 
he draws the poisoned arrow out ; of Cain expelled ; and 
of the Archangel Michael and Satan. Here also is 
the statue of a child in presence of his most faithful friend, 
and his most deadly enemy — the dog and the snake. 
The dog defends the child from the fangs of the serpent, 
and putting his paw upon his body, tears its head off and 
throws it aside, whereupon the child embraces the dog 
and kisses the faithful friend, whilst he licks the child's 
agitated brow. 

But we must pass on. Next comes a statue of the 
Queen of England in Zinc — not a very good or comely 
figure, as I should judge. Though not very handsome, 
she looks much better in flesh and blood, than in zinc. 

Passing a large French Organ, we came to a bronze 
Fountain. There are six or eight water Fountains — 
some in bronze, some in glass, some in silver, in the 
Palace. Then comes a group of splendid statues from 
Rome ; after which is an Italian mosaic fountain of exqui- 
site beauty. The array of curiosities brought from France, 
Spain, Portugal, Sardina, Austria, Belgium, Switzerland 
and Tuscany, on our right and left, under the gallery, is 



1 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 333 

beyond our time or ability to notice, as we pass along the 
central avenue. Here are the jewels of the Queen of 
Spain, and near them a casket containing the jewels of the 
Queen of England, both of which are rich enough to make 
a dozen men millionnaires could they be divided amongst 
them. Next to these is a silver shield presented to the 
litttle Prince of Wales, nine years old, heir-apparent to 
the Throne, by the King of Prussia, who stood sponsor at 
his baptism in 1842. It is upon a high pedestal, and 
contains groups of raised figures representing various 
scripture scenes. This is one of the richest and prettiest 
things in the Exhibition. Then comes the Koh-i-nor dia- 
mond, or Mountain of Light, which has always followed 
the conquest of India. It is presented by Victoria, en- 
closed in a massive gilt iron cage, with a glass vase over 
it, and is worth ten millions of dollars. It is about the 
size of a pullet's egg, and looks like a huge drop of pure 
water. It is indeed, a diamond of " the first water." 

Beyond this is the Queen's cradle in which she rocks 
her babies. It is of Turkey box wood, carved with various 
appropriate designs, amongst which is the goddess of sleep 
with closing eyes, resting upon bats' wings, crowned with 
a garland of poppies, and reposing under the Pleiades at 
midnight. The Royal Arms of Prince Albert and Vic- 
toria are also on the head and foot, representing the 
union of the House of England with the House of Saxe- 
Coburg and Gotha. The rockers also are carved in birds, 
nestling in roses. The Queen has sent many curious 
articles in for the exhibition, amongst which next to the 
last, are splendid portraits of herself and Prince Albert, 
taken on Sevres China and presented by the late King 
Louis Philippe, of France. They are in perfection. So 



334 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

transparent has the artist made the Queen's delicate 
hands that you can see the smallest veins in her alabaster 
fingers. She has also presented herself in marble mount- 
ed on her favorite charger Hammon. 

We have now arrived at the Transept, half way down 
the Palace, which is four hundred and fifty-six feet long by 
seventy-two feet wide, crossing the principal Nave. In 
the centre of this is the Crystal Fountain. It is twenty- 
seven feet high, and rises like a splinter from an iceberg. 
It contains upwards of four tons of crystal. The jet issues 
from the top in an unbroken circular sheet of purest water, 
that falls into a vase filled with nymphs. Surrounding it, 
are tables of plants and flowers, from all climes, of exceed- 
ing beauty — significant of the union of all Nations in the 
Exhibition. In the northern section of the Transept is 
another splendid fountain, the base of which is covered 
with mosses, out of which are springing beautiful palms, 
pine-apples, &c. Still further on is the Queen's robing- 
room, a special parlor for her use, and a private door, 
through which the royal family pass out and in of the 
Palace. In this Transept, too, are two or three tall elms 
and English mulberry trees, with wide-spread branches, 
and over a hundred feet high. The glass roof above them 
is secured by white cloth drawn over it, and the trees ap- 
pear green and flourishing. In this Transept, too, is much 
statuary of male and female figures, many of them of full 
size, and perfectly nude. Modesty often turns from the 
sight of them. Among the statues in the Transept — the 
works of the best artists of Italy, France, Germany, and 
England, ancient and modern — we may notice a Nymph, 
preparing for the bath ; Satan tempting Eve ; Ariel ; 
Fighting Horses ; the Amazons and Argonauts ; Girl 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 335 

Praying ; Dante's Beatrice ; Adam and Eve ; the Mur- 
der of the Innocents ; Sampson bursting his Bands ; the 
Dying Shipwrecked Boj, cast amongst the rocks upon a 
broken spar, and exclaiming, in his last words, " God ! 
have compassion on my poor widowed mother ! " Apollo 
Belvedere ; Prometheus chained to a rock ; Blind Milton 
and his Daughter. These, shaded by great trees, or set 
off by shrubbery, flowers, and jet d'eaus, give an interest 
to the Transept Nave, that makes one desire to linger 
whole days in this neighborhood. 

But we must linger no longer here. To go through the 
other half of the principal nave, and then to visit the courts, 
saloons, machinery apartments, refreshment rooms, &c., on 
the lowerfloor, and the counters, tables, stalls, alcoves, &c., 
of the vast galleries, exhibiting the attainments of Arts, Sci- 
ence and Taste of all nations — especially if we tarry to 
investigate as we go — would require weeks, and even 
months, of constant attendance and observation. Let us 
ascend this flight of stairs, and take a position in the corner 
of the Transept gallery, where hundreds of delighted ladies 
and gentlemen are also sitting upon splendid couches ; and 
at this nearest point, take as good a view as we can of the 
whole interior of the edifice. 

We are now at a point to command as good a view as 
can be had of the tout enseynhle of this grand Exhibition. 
The whole length of the main avenue from the American 
Department at the east end, to the English Department at 
the west, and of the Transept from the Prince of Wales' 
Gate at the south entrance, to the Queen's robing-room 
at the north, is before us — from the ground-floor beneath, 
to the galleries of the third story above us. It is such a 
building as the world never saw ; covering, as I have said, 



336 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

eighteen acres, besides four acres of gallery saloons ; and 
these are all filled with the richest displays of wealth, and 
the finest of art and of taste, which the civilized nations of 
the whole earth can bring together in the World's Metrop- 
olis ! China, and India, and Egypt, and Algiers, and 
Africa, to the Cape of Good Hope ; and Persia, and 
Turkey, and Italy, and Austria, and Prussia, and Ger- 
many, and Denmark, and Russia, and France, and Spain, 
and Portugal, and England, and Scotland, and Ireland, 
and America, from Newfoundland to California, and from 
Bhering's Straits to Cape Horn, and from the Sandwich 
Islands to Japan and New Holland, are all here repre- 
sented by their products and their people. It is, indeed, 
the World Daguerreotyped. What a spectacle ! We 
have sat and feasted upon it for hours ; neither we, nor 
others, ever saw the like before, and shall never see the 
like again. It is worth crossing the Atlantic to behold. 
The departments of all nations are filled with beauty and 
utility ; only room is left amongst the statues and trophies, 
and cases, and saloons, and tables, and pedestals, and foun- 
tains, and flowers, for the People to move amongst the 
almost infinite variety of objects of interest and curiosity. 
Everywhere below, around, and above us, are human beings, 
of both sexes, and all ages, nations, languages, and cos- 
tumes, all pleased, all happy, all decorous in their deport- 
ment, to the number, perhaps, of sixty thousand, moving 
about with eagerness, or sitting on sofas engaged in con- 
versation with friends. Of the myriads who have been 
here, not one has been insulted, not a thing has been 
stolen. 

But, what means that sudden turning of all eyes, and 
the directing of every step towards the Transept ? " The 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 337 

Queen ! the Queen is coming ! " She is beloved bj all, 
and all wish to see her. With a coronal studded with 
diamonds upon her fair brow, and a dress not so gorgeous 
as appears on many ladies in Regent Street, she emerges 
from the door of her robing-room, in company with the 
Prince Consort, and three of their little ones — the Prince 
of Wales, aged ten, the Princess Royal, aged eleven, and 
Princess Alice, aged eight years — all modest and prettily 
behaved children. The crowd dare not pass too closely 
upon Majesty, and therefore, room enough is allowed for 
the Royal Family to move at their leisure. They have 
advanced to a statue against the wall, in marble, of a 
Shepherd Boy, who, having been lost in the woods, in a 
famished state had succeeded in reaching, at length, the 
door of a Nobleman, where he had begged in vain for food 
and shelter, and now was dying of starvation upon the door- 
step. Nothing could look more like Death in the agony of 
despair. The sight is affecting, and brings tears even from 
the eyes of England's accomplished Queen herself. As she 
and her httle ones stand in mute sadness before the Shepherd 
Boy, see her place her Queenly hand upon the flaxen head of 
the young Heir apparent to her Throne — the Prince of 
Wales — and hear her say, " My son, at your birth I settled 
a fund upon you to be expended in charity to the poor. 
Never — never suffer the cry of the destitute to be heard 
by you in vain." Her Majesty is a good, hearty woman, 
now thirty-three years old, and the mother of seven chil- 
dren, all of whom are hving. In her manners she is dig- 
nified and pleasing, and her character is pure, and her 
examples always on virtue's side . She is benevolent, and 
does very much as a Patron of charitable Institutions. 
29 



338 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

She is universally respected and beloved. England never 
had a purer Sovereign on the Throne. Prince Albert is 
of the same age — her first cousin — their mothers are 
sisters — they were brought up together — loved each 
other in their childhood, and married, no one doubts, from 
real affection. He is a very good looking man — well 
educated — at home on almost all subjects of general liter- 
ature — is quite ingenious in the science of mechanics — 
is a lover and adept of music — devotes himself to the 
cause of Agriculture, Literature, and Benevolence, and is 
very popular in England. He is a worthy companion of 
the Queen, though below her in rank, and wholly without 
political power. 

The Royal party spend about half an hour in the Palace, 
and retire amidst the acclamations of the multitudes, and 
the pealings of all the great bells in the Edifice. This 
Great Exhibition is the child of the public spirit of Prince 
Albert and Victoria, who hope, by means of it, not more 
to promote the arts and sciences universally, than to exert, 
through its social effects, a power that shall be felt amongst 
the Nations in behalf of the Peace of the World. The 
time, we hope, is near by, long since predicted, when 
" Nation shall not lift sword against Nation, nor learn 
War any more." 

But we have consumed too much time in obervations 
from this gallery ; let us descend and examine more par- 
ticularly the articles of utility brought together from the 
different parts of the earth. 



LETTER XXXI. 

WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 



Western Nave — ^Venus and Cupid — Precious Stones — A Dragon — Timber 
Trophy — Church Restoration — Christ on the Cross — Rogers' Cutlery — 
Light House — Slain Crusader — Russia Bridge — Liverpool Docks — Yard 
at the East End- 



Descending the Transept Gallery we commence our 
journey along the western avenue, starting from the great 
Crystal Fountain which is in the exact centre of the Pal- 
ace. The whole of the western nave, and almost the 
whole of the eastern half of the edifice, is occupied by 
England and her Colonies, from East India to Canada and 
Van Dieman's Land. 

Keeping on a line in the middle of the Avenue, the first 
object that we meet is a beautiful group in marble, as 
large as life, of Venus and Cupid — enough to make an 
old man fall in love. On its right, and also on its left, are 
cases of precious stones brought from the four quarters of 
the earth. Here too is a lot of English saddles — some 
for gentlemen, some for ladies, (English women are great 
riders on horse-back) trimmed with gold. A silver table- 
stand, weapons ot war, models of pagodas, &c., surround 
a silk Trophy. This exhibits the silk manufacture of 
Spitalfields in all its variety, from furniture damask to the 



340 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

finest sewing silk. Here is a cast of Sir William Follet 
in his legal robes. He was as courteous as he was great, 
and this cast is life-like and full of character. Next is a 
Dragon that has seized a noble horse by the neck, and is 
ready to tear open his body with his murderous claws. It 
is in marble as large as life. West of this is the Canadian 
Timber Trophy, a huge pile of pine mill-logs, birch, bird's- 
eye maple, cherry, black walnut and other plank, joists 
and boards, to tell the world what may be had for build- 
ings and furniture in Canada. I wished there was a Tim- 
ber Trophy for Maine also there ; but this will answer us 
a pretty good purpose, for we have everything which Can- 
ada has in her forests, only a good deal more ! New York 
had a specimen of her forests there. On the left are bril- 
liant specimens of Soda Crystals — we never saw the like 
before. In the middle of the Avenue, we approach a 
model of Her Majesty's Opera House, as seen from the 
stage, preserving the most minute details of decoration. 
On its left is a large Bell, and on its right beautiful Yases 
in clay. Then comes an elaborately ornamented Mirror 
of immense size, which duphcates all the rich articles in 
the nave before it. By its side is a beautiful specimen of 
inlaying with copper, zinc and brass, used in contrast, 
working out figures of human faces. On the right is a 
collection of raw products from Ceylon. Near it, too, are 
minerals, of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, plumbago, 
coal, &c. The island of Jersey has contributed an im- 
mense gun, models of boats, &c. Next comes an inter- 
esting specimen of Church Restoration. It consists of a 
portion of the monuments of Philippa, Queen of Edward 
III., in Westminster Abbey. It was executed in 17S0 in 
alabaster, at a cost of $10,000. There are statuettes and 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 341 

angels surrounding it. Near this is a model of the orches- 
tra of the Sacred Harmonia Society ; the gallery is full of 
the Lilliputian performers, looking as earnest and bright 
as life. Beyond this is one of the best models in the Pal- 
ace, viz., the Church of St. Nicholas, at Hamburg. Fur- 
ther to the west stands a Crucifix in Caen stone. On one 
side is represented Jesus in the act of dying ; on the re- 
verse, the elevation of the Serpent in the Wilderness ; on 
the arms of the cross are the Good Shepherd, and the 
Prodigal Son returning ; and down the standard of the 
cross are the four Evangehsts and other Disciples. The 
model of Exeter Hall, supported on the sides by bronze 
statuettes, and brass ornaments,* is in rear of Hamburg 
Church. 

Jordan's machine for carving wood claims superiority 
by operating on the hardest woods, and producing figures 
much cheaper than by hand-work. 

Next to this are immense crystals of alum, Rochelle 
salts, and nitrate of potash, and spermaceti, forming a 
chemical Trophy in the nave. 

Next comes the Sheffield Trophy of cutlery, by the cel- 
ebrated Rogers. Amongst other things, I notice a bril- 
liant star on white ground, made out of two hundred thirty 
pairs of scissors grouped together in the star shape. Here 
also is a case containing twelve perfect pairs of scissors, 
so small that they do not weigh half a grain. There is 
also a sportman's knife, containing eighty blades ; also a 
knife three-fourths of an inch long with fifty-one blades. 

A bronze fountain in the middle of the Avenue, here 

sends forth its pure jets of spring water, that fall in sweetly 

murmuring sounds upon fantastic images, and that moisten 

a bed of tropical shrubs and flowers that surround it. A 

29* 



342 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Btatue of Shakspeare stands looking into it. Next to this 
is a new fashioned light-house. I enter it bj ascending 
steps, and find the glass sides of the lantern of immense 
thickness, and cut so as to radiate light with a wonderful 
power. In it is a monster telescope by Ross, the optician, 
some of the glasses of which are twelve inches in diameter. 

An equestrian group here strikes my attention. It 
consists of the steed of a slain Crusader, just fallen from 
his back ; the horse stands with one fore-leg over his body, 
while his mistress clasping the steed's neck weeps, and 
finds fellowship in grief with the grave-looking animal. 
In advance of this is a feather Trophy, embracing a col- 
lection of feathers from almost all the birds of the world, 
most beautifully grouped. Next is a fur Trophy, from 
Hudson's Bay — displaying a large number of richest 
skins. Adjacent to these are Irish poplins, brocades, 
waistcoatings, alpacas, shirtings, leather harnesses, boots, 
whips, and optical instruments. 

Next is a model of a suspension bridge erected over the 
Dnieper at Kiefi" in Russia. The model was made for the 
Emperor, and cost $60,000. It contains 6,880 pieces of 
wood, 87,097 pieces of metal. It is the most perfect 
thing of its kind in the Palace. A massive fountain of 
artificial stone, near this, astonishes and delights a great 
number of visitors. 

A model of the Undercliff of the Isle of Wight, ex- 
hibiting the fields, houses, gardens, roads, woods and mills, 
is an interesting geological representation on a scale of three 
feet to a mile. There is also a model of the Plymouth 
Breakwater, showing its action in a storm. 

Beyond this is a model of the Liverpool Docks. It is 
forty feet long, ten feet wide, and on a scale of eight feet 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 343 

to the mile, representing a surface of five miles. The 
docks are represented as filled with tiny vessels, sixteen 
hundred in number, fully rigged. It shows the magnitude 
of Liverpool. The model rests upon elephants cast in 
iron. It cost $3750. It is is one of the prettiest things 
in this part of the nave. 

The last object, at the west end of the principal nave, 
down which we have been passing, is an immense square 
of plate-glass, exhibited by the Thames Plate-glass Com- 
pany, measuring eighteen feet by ten. The difficulty of 
producing so large a square was so great that the workmen 
broke the first three, before they accomplished that one on 
exhibition. 

In noticing the foregoing articles, it should be re- 
membered, that we have only passed down the last half 
of the principal nave, from the Transept to the west end 
of the Crystal Palace, and have mentioned only those 
articles, and but a few of them, which are placed in the 
great passage way between the gallery walls, and the 
columns supporting them. If the reader will suppose 
himself looking, as he passes down, into the courts and 
saloons, and machinery rooms under the deep galleries to 
the right and left ; also upon the two stories of gallery 
floors above him ; and that he sees the immensity of 
articles in exhibition thus all over the building, he will 
be aware that the matters we have mentioned thus far, are 
but a very small part indeed of the contents of the Palace. 
The few things we have hitherto spoken of are all Eng- 
lish ; but not a tenth part yet of what England has herself 
supplied. 

In the gallery over the west end is an organ, built on 
the German plan, with 4,500 pipes, the largest being 



344 GLBIPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

thirty-two feet, the smallest one-eighth of an inch. Here 
also are a model of the battle of Trafalgar, and an astro- 
nomical clock which occupied thirty-four years in com- 
pleting. 

K, when at the west end of the Palace, we pass out of 
the building by one of the eight great doors, we shall see 
Kensington Gardens, just beyond us, where the Queen 
was born and reared. But before the Gardens are ap- 
proached, a space just outside the Palace is appropriated 
to matters that do not appear to have found room in the 
building. Here, under ground, is the huge steam boiler, 
that supplies power the whole length of the Palace for all 
the machinery that is in motion in it. Almost all sorts of 
machinery, from cotton factories to printing presses, are in 
motion by this power in various parts of the Palace. 
Here, too, are two noble great life-boats, large anchors, 
three hot-houses, a granite column thirty feet high, fire- 
clay goods — such as pipes, retorts, &c. There are also 
gutter-tiles, Portland cement, Bangor slate, steam-coal, a 
filtering machine, figures in artificial stone, a granite 
obeHsk, &c. In advance of the whole, still farther from 
the Palace, very near the Kensington Gardens, is a splen- 
did equestrian statue of Richard Coeur-de-lion. 



LETTER XXXII. 

WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 

Saloons of the S. W.— Seed Sower— Seed Plough— Castle Beehive— New 
Jersey Bees — Draining Plough — Dibbling Machines — Broad-cast Seed 
Sower — Clod-orusher — Machine Spading — Garden Engine — Velvet and 
Paper Hangings — Fine Yarn — Needle making — Papier Mache — Yeneer- 
ings — Alarm Bedstead — Mediaeval Court — State Fabrics — English Ladies 
shoes and dresses. 

Having in our last walk reached the west end of the 
building, let us enter the south-west quarter of the Palace, 
and pass down the aisle that runs midway to the Tran- 
sept, observing things to our right and left as we go. 

The first three saloons on our right are occupied by 
Agricultural Implements, of English invention and manu- 
facture. The first that arrests our attention is a Scotch 
Seed Planter of cereal grains, which plants and covers 
several rows as the horse walks with it over the ground. 
If all our wheat was sown in this way, it would be better 
for the hardiness and growth of the plants, and for the 
convenience and perfect work of the reaper. Next to 
this is a patent subsoil harrow which operates on the lever 
principle and scarifies and harrows the subsoil after the 
plough. Next is aji important invention — a machine for 
making hollow bricks. Prince Albert's model cottages 
erected at his expense outside of the Crystal Palace, are 
made of these bricks, and I believe he is the inventor of 



46 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

them. They are lighter, drier and warmer than solid 
bricks. The model is fire-proof. 

Lord Willoughbj exhibits here a machinery for plough- 
ing land with a stationary engine, that he says will drive 
the plough five miles per hour, at better command than if 
drawn by horses or oxen. Perhaps it may be so ; and if 
so, farewell to oxen and horses for farm work hereafter. I 
do not recollect the strength of the engine, but believe 
it is a ten horse power, and Lord W. claims that it will 
not cost half so rnuch to plough by means of this, as by 
horses and oxen. 

The Castle Bee-hive — a royal thing for Queen women 
or queen bees, — is here, the one that Queen Victoria has 
at Windsor Castle, where she breeds bees and princes. It 
is prolific, of course. By the way, the only working bees 
in the Palace, were several merry swarms from New 
Jersey, which had apartments in the American end of the 
edifice. They gathered honey from the flower gardens of 
Hyde Park and Kensington, and brought it to the Crystal 
Palace in presence of all beholders, and deposited it in 
glass boxes that lined one side of the American Office. 
It was a pretty sight, and I could but feel proud of the 
Yankee bees at work in the Crystal Palace. 

I should like one of those machines, called the Sulphur- 
ator, and Fumigator, designed to diffuse powdered sulphur, 
quick lime and smoke amongst trees and grapes, hops, 
rose bushes, &c., for the destruction of insects. One of 
the most useful inventions, as it struck our mind, was what 
is called a draining plough, which leaves a drain behind it 
through which the surplus water may pass off. If this 
operates as pretended, it will be a good implement on wet 
lands. It can be moved by a windlass for applying horse 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 347 

power to the plough, or hj a steam engine on a new 
sjstem. 

They have a great many Dibbling machines in England ; 
we have but few of them in use in America. They pierce 
holes in the soil, drop and cover the seed as they go. In 
this way the seed is equitably distributed. Beets, corn, 
beans, &c., can in this way be sown with great exactness. 
In the Exhibition we meet with many Dibbling machines, 
all of which profess to be improvements on the old imple- 
ments. 

A Scotchman has offered a machine for sowing grain 
and grass seed broad cast, which he claims will distribute 
the grain over the surface with exact regularity. A man 
can sow with it as fast as he walks. 

A clod-crusher, that a single horse could move, and 
that takes up the clods and crushes them as it proceeds 
seems to be an improvement on our old plan of a great 
log or huge roller that crushes some clods and sinks others, 
hardening the ground as it goes along. One horse would 
go over a large space in a day with this clod-crusher. 

Spading is better than ploughing; and this may be 
one reason why beds in gardens do better than fields on 
the farm. But spading by hand is a slow and back-break- 
ing business. Here, however, is a patent machine for 
digging, turning over and pulverising the soil, which no 
doubt it will do very faithfully and expeditiously. By chang- 
ing some of the keys, the machine may be made to answer 
the purpose of a cultivator or scarifier amongst growing 
crops. 

A portable hand garden-engine is a good thing for wash- 
ing trees, &c. in gardens. It will throw the water fifty 
feet high in a continuous stream. 



848 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Farlow exhibited a cheap netting for protecting fruit 
and flowers. This may be valuable to many gardeners. 

But we have proceeded far enough for once amongst 
the English implements of husbandry. 

Let us turn to the right and notice a few things in the 
court that contains woven and felted fabrics. Here we 
notice some beautifully embossed silk and velvet used in 
book binding. Also embossed velvets and furniture linings 
for decorations. And there are some embossed paper 
hangings which we should like to hang upon the walls of 
our home parlor. 

Here are some specimens of machine printing on velvet ; 
— eight colors, produced at one operation, at the rate of 
sixty yards per minute ! 

A curiosity of manufacture is sent in from Manchester. 
It consists of cotton yarn spun so fine that a single pound 
of cotton is made to extend a thread 3o8 miles. One 
pound of double thread is elongated to 324 miles and 
cost $140. The most remarkable example, however, is 
the specimen by which a single pound is extended to 480 
miles. This is the finest that ever was spun. It is use- 
less for all manufacturing purposes, being too fine to be 
serviceable, or even handled. 

Here is a communion table-cloth of fine linen, made in 
Leeds. The figures woven into it represented, as its 
centerpiece, the Saviour administering the last supper to 
his disciples. The border, running right and left, was 
composed of Corinthian scrolls, with the passion-flower 
and wheat and grapes. The middle contained the Holy 
Scriptures and the mitre, and the sides had each a large 
cross with " I. H. S." The design is admirable. Why 
are not such articles in the market in this country ? 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 349 

Next to this court we pass into a room filled with the 
Hardware of Sheffield. Here is a case containing the 
preparations of steel wire, showing all the stages in the 
process of manufacturing needles. It take as many men 
to make a needle as a house. 

In the furniture division we witness a display of papier 
macJie goods. It is curious to see what can be made 
out of paper — inkstands, trajs, chairs, cots, and even 
piano-fortes. One of the latter is here with tortoise-shell, 
and another with pearl, keys. Here, too, are samples of 
veneering, for which we thought the Yankees ought to 
have the premium ; for I recollect my friend Burnup, of 
Belfast, twenty-five years ago, invented a machine for 
unrolling a log, as a merchant unrolls his cloth, and mak- 
ing veneering as wide as the log is long, and as many 
yards long as the log, cut into a thin sheet will allow. 
This is of immense benefit ; but I think it never was 
patented ; and now it is exhibited in England as a new 
thing. 

An alarm bedstead attracts our attention. A clock is 
at its head to give the alarm at any desired time. See 
that fellow lying on the bed to be awakened. Soon the 
clock strikes ; and if in precisely two minutes he does not 
arise, the head of his bed is thrown up, and he is pitched 
over the foot without ceremony ! He is awake and up 
now, no doubt, and may dress himself if he will. The 
invention is a capital one for lazy bones. 

A family freezing machine is here, which will convert 
water into ice in the hottest of weather. Ice houses are 
no longer necessary. 
30 



350 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS 

The English Statuary Room is next to this. It is filled 
with figures in wood, plaster and marble, of all sorts and 
sizes. Some of the finest sculptures in the world are here. 
We are struck with St. John baptising our Saviour, and 
the Descent from the Cross, as amongst the best. The 
Babes in the Wood attract the attention of all ; for all 
remember the story. 

In the Mineral Department, we see what can be made 
of slate, from house roofs to ornamental loo tables and 
ladies' work-tables. Who knows but our Maine slate 
quarries will yet supercede the Penobscot lumber mills in 
the furnishing of materials ? 

In the court assigned to leather, we notice a splendid 
model of a spirited horse, that looks, for all the world, 
like a live one just ready to spring, completely equipped, 
with a gold trimmed saddle and bridle, and holsters with 
silver mounted pistols. Behind the saddle is slung a 
unique case of whips. It is an efiective advertisement. 
Here is a great variety of shoes, in none of which, how- 
ever, are our American shoes exceeded, except by the 
Ladies' shoes, which have thick double soles. There is 
no reason in the world why women should not have their 
feet as dry and warm as men ; and in England you never 
see the ladies walking out of doors with kid slippers on. 
They wear boots and shoes with thick soles, and are not 
ashamed, in wet weather, to walk with clothes raised so as 
to prevent all draggling in the mud. English women look 
fresher and healthier than our Yankee ladies, and the 
reason is obvious. Our shoe shops are as accountable for 
consumptions, as grog shops are for pauperism. But we 
can go no further in this little part of the English Depart- 
ment. 



LETTER XXXIII. 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 



Furniture Rooms — Portable Pulpit — Invalid Bedstead and Washstand— 
Self-swinffinp; Cot — New Room-Paper and Clotli — A Druidical Chair — 
Devotional Chair — Iron Bedsteads — Self-propelling Chair — Manufactur- 
ing Rooms — Cotton Gin — Mules — Electric Telegraph — Sewing Machine 
— Curvilinear Sawing. 



Let us advance to the furniture room, and see what 
there is there that I am not very familiar with in Amer- 
ica. 

And the first thing I notice is a capital contrivance for 
itinerant preachers — one specially to be commended to 
the travelling apparatus of those settled ministers, who 
settle over new societies about every week. It consists 
of a portable self-supporting pulpit, with hand-rails for a 
stair- way, a platform to stand upon, and a silk table on 
which to lay a book, notes, &c. It is light, and when 
folded up may be taken under the arm of the pedestrian, 
and carried along till he feels moved by the Spirit to 
settle over some society, where he can re-pitch his pulpit, 
mount the rostrum, and hold forth till a new settlement is 
needed. The idea is certainly not a bad one — especially 
for street preaching, for field meetings, pic-nic assemblies, 



352 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

&c. Who will patent and manufacture such an article of 
furniture in the United States ? 

Under this self-supporting pulpit is an invalid bed-car- 
riage, for persons suffering from spinal complaints and 
other diseases, under the ravages of which they can travel 
only on beds in a recumbent posture. 

By the side of this is a very pretty invalid's wash- 
stand, for the use of persons confined to beds, which may 
instantly be made to answer the purpose of a wash-stand 
or small table at their side. 

Nor are these the only inventions forinvalids. Here 
is a self-swinging cot for grown people, or a cradle for m- 
fants, which does its own rocking, and that in the gentlest 
and pleasantest manner. 

By the side of this is a beautiful table at which a small 
family may take tea ; after which it may be converted into 
a bedstead, wardrobe, suite of drawers, sponge-bath, &c. 

We must be pleased with this new kind of house paper. 
It is designed for the decoration of rooms, and so exactly 
represents wood, pressed like English oak, &c., that a 
beholder could hardly persuade himself that the walls and 
ceiling covered with it were not actually sheathed with 
beautiful grained wood, having raised figures upon them. 
Such paper will be in America before long. 

This paper is not so rich as a cloth, about as wide and 
thin as paper, designed for the walls of apartments, which 
has the appearance of superfine cloth of various shades 
and colors. It must give a rich finish to rooms ; and it is 
said costs no more than the best paper. 

What old arm chair is that ? The very one I should 
like to carry home to instal as my chair editorial. It is a 
library chair of black oak, almost as black as ebony, and 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 353 

that has a very antique appearance. It was occupied by 
the Druids (Drew-ids ?) before our Saviour's time ; for a 
label attached to it affirms that it was found near Doncas- 
ter in Yorkshire, where it is presumed to have been 
buried 2,000 years. Oh ! that I could summon it to my 
sanctum, and seat one of my ancestral Druids in it. 

If not permitted to have this ancient relic, I would 
be content with a modern chair standing near it, which is 
carved on the back and arms with Scriptural designs, 
intermixed and set off with cozy figures richly worked in 
fine wool of different colors. 

The next article is one to be commended to all the 
friends of an old style devotion. It is a devotional chair 
of Irish bog oak, with a stool to kneel upon, and orna- 
mented with two crystals termed the " Irish Diamonds." 
The panel on the back is of needlework ; — if a wor- 
shipper could not be humble and pray there, — why, then, 
he might pray by the help of less gorgeous furniture, if he. 
could. 

Iron bedsteads — not Procrustean ones — are becoming 
very common in England. They are elastic, as well as 
strong and light. Here is a folding one with brass hinges 
and legs, that makes a pretty ornament, as it folds up the 
bed on the wall of the room, and exposes a front as hand- 
some as a polished brass bureau. 

We hke the plan of this self-propelling chair, made por- 
table for travelling, and having vulcanized india-rubber 
wheels. An invalid in this can move himself about the 
room with ease ; or a cripple can run with it on the high- 
ways almost as fast as a hand-car can go upon the railway. 
The inventor of this also exhibits an improved recumbent 
chair for invalids. 
30* 



354 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Let us now cross the principal nave, and visit some of 
the machinery rooms under the north gallery. All sorts 
of manufacturing is going on here. These rooms are as 
noisy as any other factories ; but everything in them is 
exceedingly neat and orderly. 

First we notice the Yankee Cotton Gin — an invention 
of a Connecticut man, of the first importance to the world. 
It opens the pods, takes out the seed, and deposits the 
fibre in a body by itself, ready for picking and carding. 
Then comes another Yankee invention — the spinning 
mule of Mason, of Taunton. It moves its hundred spindles 
upon a line to the stationary spools, holds the warp as if 
by the finger, and recedes with it as fast as the warp is 
extended and spun into thread ; then it advances again 
and commits the thread to the spools. It gratifies our 
national vanity to see so much Yankeeism in use amongst 
the British manufacturers. 

Here too is an electric telegraph in operation, by means 
of which instant word may be sent to any part of the Pal- 
ace, or out of it to the city, or the kingdom. And who 
does not know that to our own Yankee Morse the world 
is indebted for this invention ? Nay, the application of 
steam power itself, to steam ships, rail cars, and machinery 
of all sorts, is another Yankee plan of our own Fulton. 
The English do not like to acknowledge this, because 
steam poiver was discovered before the days of Fulton ; 
but we all know he was the first to harness that power, 
and break the creature in for the use of man. 

A machine for printing calicoes, de laines, and other 
textile fabrics is in this department. It prints by one 
process a corresponding or varied pattern on each side of 
the cloth. 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 355 

There is in the machinery rooms any number of im- 
proved steam engines, exhibiting professed improvements. 
Also printing machines — even for the manufacture and 
setting of the type, as well as taking the impression from 
them after they are set — are abundant. They are here 
in operation. 

A machine is in motion for taking up and cutting blank 
paper, folding it as envelopes, and applying the gluten as 
a self-sealing property, and which turns out the finished 
envelopes as fast as a boy can seize and pile them up. 

A drilling machine here is an excellent thing for quarry- 
ing-men and others engaged in blasting rocks. 

Sewing machines are becoming common. They will 
yet, I fear, take the needlework out of the hands of our 
fair ladies. Here is one that is capable of sewing 500 
stitches per minute. It does its work with great exact- 
ness, and alike on both sides. By means of it one female 
can make and deliver over to the ironer and pressor six 
pairs of nice pantaloons per day. It is C. T. Judkins' Pa- 
tent, of Manchester. 

Spinning mules are of various sizes and powers. There 
are some hand mules, which need no steam power. By 
means of them a lady can spin a dozen threads at a time. 
A ship's compass is on exhibition, which registers on 
paper the course a vessel may have been steering for the 
last twenty-four hours. Our ship-masters may be benefit- 
ted by this instrument. 

Some of the screw-cutting machines, on wood or iron, 
may be worthy of being transported to the United States. 
We are not yet in the way of making iron screws to profit. 
This lathe is of very simple construction. By the side of 
it, is a separate set of screw stocks, dies, taps, &c., by 



356 GLIMPSES ANDaATHERINGS. 

which any observer can see the progress of manufacture. 

In Kennebec our enterprising carpenters build the best 
ships in the world. What would they think of a curvi- 
linear sawing machine, that will fit ship's timber into shape 
without the broad axe ? 

Several of the machines in this department, and some, 
of which I have spoken, are American. The Yankees are 
not ashamed to put their inventive genius alongside the 
British anywhere. 

It was a capital idea, at first, which provided for the 
creation and application of a large steam power, that might 
be communicated to the centre, and the various other 
parts of the Crystal Palace, by means of which all new 
matters of machinery could be put to the test, and exhibi- 
ted in actual operation. These machinery rooms are a 
young Birmingham and Manchester, under a glass roof. 
This department is always filled with skilful or curious ob- 
servers. 



LETTER XXXIV 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 



Nature of the articles exhibited, show the connections of freedom or 
servility of different Nations — Fossils — Guano — China clay — Alabaster 
— Prince Albert's dog Eos — Silver ore. 



It -will not be possible for us to visit every National 
Department, and note the important things in all. This 
■would require weeks and volumes. And this, perhaps, 
may be as good a place as any for me to say that the 
articles exhibited in the several National Departments, 
afford a pretty good index of the freedom and indepen- 
dence of the people of the various Kingdoms and States 
represented in the Great Exhibition. The Turkish, the 
East Indian, the Italian, the Austrian, and the Russian 
Departments, show little or nothing adapted to the sup- 
port and comfort of the masses, but only those things 
which present the largest hiatus between the raw material 
and the finished fabric, thereby exhibiting the greatest 
amount of labor for the production of what can be pro- 
cared, and used only by the rich and aristocratic. The 
genius of these nations appears to be altogether subser- 
vient to the monarchs and nobles, and is never employed 
for the benefit of the people. Utility and cheapness, 
therefore constitute no merit in the mind of a Russian 



358 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

or an Algerine. But those nations which are more free 
have proportionably more articles on exhibition that are 
of service to the common people ; this is considerably true 

Y of France and the Zollveiren States. In England the 
free principle preponderates ; there has evidently been 
more effort in the English mind to meet the wants of the 
greatest number, and thereby to command the most ex- 
tensive market, than in any other of the European nations. 
She is the most free ; and yet mixed up with utility, 
there is much that is useless and costly, adapted only 
to the means of the aristocratic few. But go into the 

^ American Department, and there mere fancy matters are 
so few that, at first, even the English sneered at Uncle 
Sam for the plainness and simplicity of his appearance. 
He was too republican for his place amongst the nations ; 
but republican as he was, he happened to have the 
strongest legs, and in due time threw even John Bull 
fairly upon the Crystal Palace floor. All his articles 
were adapted to cheapness of production, greatest dura- 
biUty, and most general usefulness. It is all because 
Brother Jonathan is the freest boy on earth. As I have 
said, the articles in the different National Departments, 
showed at once which was the most despotic and which 
the most free. The Emperor Nicholas had 'groups of 
human figures in solid silver as large as fife, representing 
some of his victorious battles, which are of no use to any 
body but as toys for despots ; — Jonathan had his Reaper 

X and his Meat Biscuit, which feed the people. 

In our last we had passed from under the gallery upon 
the south side of the west end of the Palace, across the 
nave to the machinery rooms under the gallery on the 
north side. 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 359 

Let us now pass into the next Saloon that contains the 
collection of minerals. Here are fossil fishes — once 
alive, now imbedded in stone and constituting a part of 
it ; fossil wood like the forms that we have seen in the 
stones of Piscataquis countj and Moose Head Lake ; 
white topaz from Van Dieman's Land ; Normal guano, a 
manure prepared from the refuse of fishes, an excellent 
fertilizer ; pink colored table salt, a handsome article and 
pure ; a specimen of silver sand, exceedingly white ; 
china clay from which porcelain ware is made, — it is 
derived from the decomposition of felspar ; green granite, 
more ornamental than our Maine granite ; black Irish 
marble that receives an excellent polish ; pure stalagmite, 
or oriental alabaster, veined in colors from Grenada ; a 
specimen of the magnesian limestone of which the New 
Parliament House is made — it was brought from York- 
shire where the greenest Englishmen reside ; a slate, 
cabinet exhibiting the various applications of slate, — such 
as table-tops, work-boxes &c. ; peat charcoal, and charcoal 
made by the burning of refuse tan, which makes an artifical 
fuel ; stone coal, or anthracite, of which we have millions 
in Pennsylvania ; a collection of all the iron ores of Great 
Britain, some of which is no better than the native iron 
in various parts of Maine ; improved cast iron, called the 
toughened cast iron, and new bell metal ; a zinc cast of 
Prince Albert's dog Eos ; a mass of copper dug from a 
mine in Cornwall, Wales, weighing 1,500 lbs ; a specimen 
of silver lead ore from the great Cowarch silver lead mine ; 
a pick for dressing granite, without the labor of human 
elbows ; a fac simile of the largest piece of gold found in 
California — its weight is not given ; a specimen weighing 
twelve cwt. containing cubes of lead and zinc ore ; wood 



860 GLIMPSES AND GATHEKINGS. 

impregnated witli block tin and making beautiful articles 
of closet ware ; lots of sulphur ore, of zinc ore, and of 
manganese ore, cobalt ore, iron pyrites, hornblende, 
antimony, and cinnibar from California, and 5,160 grains 
of mercury distilled from 7,560 grains of the cinnabar. 

Indeed, here are specimens of almost all the minerals 
of the earth, from gold and platina to lead and common 
salt — such as the Liverpool mineral salt is prepared 
from. 



LETTER XXXV. 

WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 

Naval Department — Sailing-Vessel with Screw Propeller — Life Boats" and 
Buoys — A Boat-Trunk — Yachts — Victoiy of the " America " — Bell- 
Buoy — D^ad-reckoning — Cook's Quadrant — Signal Lamp — Models, 

Naval Matters. — Our ship-owners and seamen must 
not be neglected in the Great Exhibition. They are a class 
of men in whose welfare Maine cannot but be highly inter- 
ested. Ship-building and navigation are the greatest 
business of the State. Let us ascend this flight of steps 
into the first gallery, being yefin the English Department, 
and visit the saloons in the south-western corner of the 
Palace. England claims to be mistress of the Ocean, 
and to have made greater progress in the science of naval 
architecture than any other nation. It may be interesting 
for us to see some of the mi-tters she has sent there on 
exhibition. We cannot here describe all the apparatus we 
saw ; but can mention some things that struck our atten- 
tion which may be suggestive of some ideas to the inven- 
tive genius of Yankee minds. 

Here is the model of a sailing vessel, that also has a 

screw propeller which does not require a steam engine to 

put it in motion. It may be worked by hand as easily as 

a ship's pump, and under certain circumstances may be of 

31 



362 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

immense importance in propelling or backing a vessel to 
keep her from rocks or a lee shore. There are times, 
frequently, when two or three miles per hour gained by a 
ship that is set by a current the wrong way, would save 
her from destruction. 

There are many models of Life-Eoats here ; but one is 
before us that has the power of righting herself under all 
circumstances, without the aid of an iron keel or dead- 
weight of any kind. 

A self-acting Life-buoy keeps the body in an unright 
position, and claims that, since its invention in 1838, nearly 
four hundred persons have had their Hves saved by means 
of it. 

Here is a contrivance that may be carried in the pocket, 
by means of which a line may be thrown from the shore 
to a stranded ship, and thus enable those on board to form 
a connexion which will save them from being swallowed up 
by the breakers. 

It must be a great convenience to have such a trunk or 
sailor's chest as this — one which is water-tight and 
is capable of sustaining fifteen persons in the water. 
Shipwrecked persons can thus save themselves and carry 
their own clothes and provisions at the same time. 

The Royal Family are dear lovers of Yachts. The 
Queen has one called " Victoria and Albert ; " and here 
is the model of another, called " Victoria," which she had 
built expressly as a present to the Emperor of Russia — 
perhaps as a return for a splendid chair-carriage and a 
span of ponies which that monarch gave her, and which I 
saw in her royal mews or stobles at Windsor Castle. The 
Queen and Albert were present when Stevens' Yacht 
America run against the whole squadron, of forty Royal 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 363 

Yachts, at the Isle of Wight, and beat them all ! It was 
a sad day in English history, never to be forgotton. 

This bell-buoy is probably a model of the same that we 
saw near the mouth of the Thames. By the slightest 
motion of the water on which it rests, the bell is made to 
ring, and thus warns vessels of their danger in foggy 
weather and in the night time. 

Sometimes rudder-fastenings get destroyed at sea, and 
then the ship is at the mercy of the elements. Here is a 
plan of improved rudder fastenings which can be rei&tted 
on board. 

Dead-reckoning is a matter of great importance. Some- 
times ships sail days and weeks without obtaining a solar 
observation ; and then all depends upon the log for calcu- 
lating one's position. Here is a perpetual log for indicat- 
ing the speed and leeway of ships, that can be consulted 
with the greatest facility. 

There — on that table — is the identical quadrant and 
compass used by Captain Cook in his voyage round the 
world. They look old, and not half so well finished as 
more modem instruments. 

Here is a marine signal-lamp, that gives a light equal 
to a blue-light. All vessels on the Grand Banks, or else- 
where, in foggy weather, and in nights, need such signals 
hoisted to prevent collisions. 

Who would not wish to avoid sea-sickness ? Here is 
a double action sofa bed, lying on which the motion pro- 
ducing dizziness is prevented, and it is said sea-sickness is 
avoided thereby. 

Here are models of a brigantine ; of a clipper merchant 
schooner ; of Her Majesty's Royal iron screw steam yacht 
" Fairy;" of a merchant ship built according to Lloyd's 



364 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

plans ; of an eight-oared shallop ; of a brig yacht 450 
tons ; of a ninety gun man-of-^ar, and indeed of all sorts 
of English craft. But in the American Department is a 
model of a merchant ship sent out from the Smithsonian 
Institute at Washington ; that has taken the 'premium over 
all British models ! This is just like Brother Jonathan. 

A gutta percha boat is made portable for crossing inland 
waters. By the side of it are various hfe-preserving im- 
plements, such as buoyant mattrasses, cushions, bolsters, 
portmanteaus, &c. 

A deck-seat — just the thing for a lot of passengers to 
sit upon, — can, in three minutes be changed into a 
safety-raft capable of sustaining eight persons on the 
water. 

And here is a gun or war engine capable of firing 
10,900 charges of ball cartridges in ten minutes. We 
hope that wars, and the use of such deadly weapons, have 
ceased amongst civilized nations. 

Flax Cotton Goods. — Passing a little out of the 
Naval Department, we are glad to notice a specimen of 
the Flax prepared according to the French patent of 
Monsieur P. Claussen. We have much hope that this 
may make New England the Cotton growing part of the 
United States. The Flax, by Mr. Claussen's system, is 
speedily separated from the woody part of the stem by 
chemical process, is cut up, the tube of each fibre charged 
with a fluid that bursts it, the gluten separated from the 
flax, and then it can be spun like Cotton alone, or' mixed 
w^ith wool, silk, or common cotton. In this Department of 
the Palace are exhibited yarns spun from the Flax Cotton, 
alone, and mixed with cotton, wool and silk. We can 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 365 

raise Flax enough in the State of Maine to feed every 
cotton factory in New England. 

The Lancaster manufactory has sent in a fine gauze 
flannel, made of sheep's wool. We never saw woollen 
gauze before, and least of all a gauze flannel. But it must 
make a rich trimming, and articles of winter dress for 
ladies. 

The Poplins exhibited here — especially those from 
Ireland, — are amongst the richest goods in the Exhibi- 
tion. Some are imperial blue and gold ; others are white 
and gold tissue. Then we meet with those that are 
corded, plaided, tartan and check. These poplins will 
wear many years, and meanwhile may be colored anew. 
The fabric is silk and fine worsted, occasionally inter- 
mixed with gold and silver. 
31* 



LETTER XXXVI. 

WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 

The American Department — Wayne Scythes — Shoe Pegs — Tacks — Granite 
Cutter — Cars — Products of Ohio — Yankee bed-quilt — Boston Sweeps — 
Prince Albert Wagon — Bread-stuffs — Daguerreotypes — Alabama — South 
Carolina — California — Reclining Chairs — Air-exhausted Coffin — Dress 
Cloths — Virginia — Michigan-Massachusetts. 

We have already noticed many articles sent out from 
the United States, but let us take a small walk directly 
into the American Department. 

Hanging against the wall is a large, polished maple 
frame, in which are displayed the different kinds of 
scythes manufactured by the North Wayne Scythe Fac- 
tory in Maine. The fact has been stated already, that 
these took the Prize. 

There is a barrel of things curious enough in England 
— Yankee shoe pegs. No pe^iged shoes are yet made in 
England ; the English think soles must be sewed, or a 
shoe is not a shoe. They will yet adopt Brother Jona- 
than's improvement in shoe making. 

Field, of Taunton, has sent out beautiful samples of iron 
and copper tacks and nails. It is said that the English 
cannot manufacture them so well, and with so much facil- 
ity, as they are made in Massachusetts. 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 36 T 

That machine from New Hampshire, invented bj 
R obert Eastman, Esq., of Concord, for dressing, shaping, 
and ornamenting stone for architectural and other pur- 
poses, is a valuable invention, which may be of service 
amongst the granite of Kennebec and other parts of 
Maine. 

We are glad to see some railroad car seats manufac- 
tured in Troy, N. Y., and only regret there is not a full- 
sized Yankee car here, for John Bull to see. They have 
not yet found out in England how to seat cars with a 
passage-way through the middle, nor how to provide 
them with private saloons, with night couches for invalids, 
families, &c. Our common cars are better than their 
best. Their first-class cars, indeed, are richly lined and 
generously stuffed ; but can accommodate only six or 
eight in each, who are locked in, and can have no inter- 
course with any other persons in the train, not even with 
the Conductor. 

Ohio is amongst the States the best represented in the 
Fair. She has specimens of beef and pork in barrels, 
lard-oil and adamantine candles, catawba wine, chewing 
tobacco, Indian corn, wheat, brooms and broom corn, 
artificial teeth, mortising and boring machine, compound 
microscope, lightning rods, points and insulators, hemp- 
dressing machine, patent churn, ploughs, surgical instru- 
ments, steam-dried Indian meal, and an invention from 
Columbus for teaching the blind to write and draw, and 
said to be applicable to the teaching of Geography, 
Geometry, Mathematics, &c. Nor is this all — we see a 
large glass jar from Cincinnati filled with great, luscious 
peaches preserved, and labelled, "A present from the 



868 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Queen City of the West to Queen Victoria of England." 
It is a Royal present, undoubtedly. 

We notice a very curious bed-quilt, wrought and sent 
to the Fair by some American Ladies, that consists of 
small squares of various colors, so arranged as to con- 
stitute a pedestal in every few inches, on which is placed 
the figure head of some one of our American scholars or 
patriots. It is a curious and handsome piece of workman- 
ship, or rather of workwomanship. 

By the application of some machinery of his own inven- 
tion, E. Page, of Boston, can manufacture more than 
8,000 feet of oars and sculls per diem, and thereby com- 
bine rapidity of production with cheapness of price. 
The oars are of superior model to any in England. 

There is a large number of carriages in the Exhibition, 
several of which are exhibited by E. Riddle, Esq., of 
Boston, the American Commissioner. Amongst them 
is a wagon called " The Prince Albert Wagon," which is 
very light, beautiful, and has a shifting top. It arrests 
the attention of the English gentry, and, I am told, they 
have given orders for several of them to be made in Bos- 
ton at any price. 

One of Brother Jonathan's first objects appears to be 
to show the nations when all the rest of the world becom e 
hungry, just where they can go and find bread enough , 
and to spare. Hence, here is a whole row of barrels and 
bags from the Genesee country, N. Y., of spring wheat, 
Mediterranean wheat, white flint wheat, barley, rye, 
buck-wheat, oats, Indian-corn, shelled and in the ear, 
brown corn, flax, hemp, millet, clover, herds grass, 
red top, and other field seeds. Also from Chicago, 
Illinois, Cincinnati, Ohio, and other States, are barrels of 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 369 

finest flour, with the staves varnished and the hoops gilded ; 
barrels of pork, beef, tallow, lard, boxes of farina, starch, 
specimens of tobacco, cotton, rice, hominy, oil cake, 
pearl barley, &c. 

Daguerreotype miniatures are here in great numbers and 
perfection. The truth is, American daguerreotypes are 
much better than those in England — probably because 
our air and light are clearer. The first likenesses I saw 
were a few from Vermont, representing some of the hand- 
somest daughters and mothers in the Green Mountain 
State ; and I could but feel proud of such an exhibition of 
the beauty of our country. Amongst other daguerrian 
likenesses, we notice very large ones of President Fill- 
more, Mr. Webster, Mr. Clay, Col. Benton, Mr. Calhoun, 
Gen. Jackson, Gov. Cass, Gen. Scott, Gen. Taylor, &c. 

There are minerals here from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the 
iron mountains of Missouri, the zinc beds of New Jersey, and 
the copper regions of Michigan. We have about all the 
valuable minerals of the world in our country, from platina 
and gold, to lead and iron. 

South Carolina has a national appearance in the Crystal 
Palace — samples of everything, almost, that can make her 
independent ; — such as Upland Cotton, Sea-Island Cot- 
ton, rice in the sheaf, spirits of turpentine, palmetto cedar, 
and sweet gum-wood, and a specimen of secessionism, con- 
sisting of a broken jar full of escaping gas. Amongst her 
manufactures, we notice several pieces of cotton shirtings 
and sheetings, a canoe-boat, cut out of the trunk of a 
cypress tree, a phoeton carriage, a basket, and a circular 
table, large enough for the acommodation of a large com- 
pany of Southern chivalry. 



870 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Gold and other California ores are present ; and we 
notice, also, from that new State, an improved steam- 
engine quartz-crusher, which must satisfy the nations, that 
if gold cannot be dug out of the sand in lumps, it may be 
ground out of the rocks with equal certainty and ease. 

The Philadelphians have sent out a splendid set of 
reclining chairs ; but the English people hold all such 
Yankee contrivances for people in health, as reclining and 
rocking-chairs, in derision. They constitute no part of the 
furniture of an English parlor. Also, E. Starr, of Phila- 
delphia, placed in the Palace several forms of printing 
bank-notes and stereotyping, together with specimens of 
the notes, and of electrotyping . 

New Hampshire has a sample of fine Saxony wool, 
brought from the flock of the exhibitor, S. Sibley, of 
Hopkinton. 

Air-exhausted coffin. This is a new invention to pre- 
serve the dead from putrefaction. After the body is de- 
posited, the coffin is closed up, and the air entirely ex- 
hausted ; and it is said the body will keep thus unchanged 
forever, if the air is kept out so long. The same man, 
E. G. Tuckerman, of New York, also has air-exhausted 
boxes for preserving fruit, fish, and flesh. 

Genin, the same that paid the great price for a 
ticket to attend the concert of Jenny Lind, has a large 
display of New York hats and caps in the Exhibition. 
France may equal them, but England cannot. 

American cloths for dress-coats, and cassimeres for pan- 
taloons, are here from manufactories in Maine, Massachu- 
setts, New Hampshire, and New York ; and though one 
would hardly think of carrying such fabrics to England 
with the idea of competing with British manufactures, 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 371 

really these look as fine and substantial as the best of En- 
glish cloths. The cassimeres ofiered by friend J. D. Lang, 
Yassalboro, were made of American wool, (from Ohio, I 
believe,) and he asserts, that cassimeres, of equal excel- 
lence, cannot be manufactured in England. 

Under the sign of the State of Virginia, we notice sam- 
ples of iron ore, greensand marl, soap-stone, roofing slate, 
galena and silver combined, gold ore, quartz rock, tobacco 
in the leaf, and manufactured, (this is the only specimen 
of anything to eat from Virginia,) and of manufactured 
articles, ladies' and gentlemen's saddles, daguerreotypes, 
books, types, and envelope paper. 

Michigan, a State far back in the woods, away from the 
sea-coast and the Atlantic Ocean, has one important inven- 
tion here, viz., a revolving cylinder engine and leeway 
indicator, with a fog-whistle for Light Houses. 

Next to New York, Massachusetts has the most in the 
Great Exhibition. That is a little State ; but she makes her 
large mark in the world. Amongst her articles, we notice 
ship's models, books for the blind, pegged boots and shoes, 
cooking-ranges and stoves, all sorts of mechanical, surgi- 
cal, and agricultural tools, specimens of human teeth, 
black-lead crucibles, wooden bowls, corn brooms, buckets, 
purchase blocks, gossamer wigs, piano-fortes, power-loom 
lathes, gold pens, hydraulic ram, combination bank lock, 
electric clock, folding, pressing, and sewing machine, cor- 
dage, cotton duck, mathematical telegraph, iron flooring, 
ginghams, cassimeres, carpets, shawls, &c. 



LETTER XXXVII. 

WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 

The Queen in the Palace — Murder of the Innocents— Child driving a hoop 
— Eve, Gabriel and Satan— A Boy's broken Drum— Amazon— The Gal- 
leries— Voting Machine— Copying Electric Telegraph— German Toys — 
A Carpet given to the Queen- Duke of Northumberland's Reward. 

We have said that at the northern end of the Transept 
is a robing-room fitted up for the Queen, who enters it by 
a private door leading into the Park. The chairs, tables, 
couches, &c., are covered with blue silk damask of Spital- 
fields manufacture, one portion being richly carved and 
gilded, and the other of black-wabut wood. The great 
mirror in which Her Majesty sees herself, is very rich. 
The carpet is of the finest silk-velvet, woven with beauti- 
ful designs, embracing groups of roses and convolvoluses. 
The Queen comes to the Crystal Palace in her State 
Carriage, accompanied perhaps by Prince Albert, and 
some of her children and other members of the royal 
household. Alighting therefrom, she enters the private 
door, and in the robing-room her ladies-of-the-robes relieve 
her of her riding garments, and dress her up in robes 
suitable for walking about the Palace. This is generally 
a rich, but plain satin gown, and there is a circlet of 
diamonds, or a coronal, upon her brow. When the whisper 
begins to pass amongst the moving throngs that crowd 
the nave, the aisles, saloons, galleries, &c. that the Queen 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 873 

is in the Palace, — though there is in every part of the 
edifice, at every visitor's side, some object of wealth or 
beauty to arrest his attention, from that moment nothing 
else is seen or looked upon but her Majesty, Victoria. The 
people, however, are decorous and poUte. There is 
no rushing or crowding, as there would be in some 
Yankee circles amongst us, till the front ranks are 
pushed upon the royal party as it proceeds ; on the 
contrary, there is rather a withdrawing quietly, that each 
individual may select some good position by the side of the 
avenue, or in the gallery, where the Queen is expected 
to pass, in order that thus a view of the Sovereign may 
be had. She is attended by no body-guard, or soldiery. 
There are policemen all over the Palace, and these are 
enough to protect the Queen or any body else in the 
edifice. She moves leisurely and gracefully about, notic- 
ing things eagerly, and making them the topics of conver- 
sation with her companions. If the Queen places her 
royal hand upon any thing, or expresses approbation of it, 
that is a fortune to its owner. The next day, henceforth, 
that is the fashionable article in the kingdom. I never 
saw any persons speak to her in the Palace, but some of 
her own party ; nor did I ever hear her direct her dis- 
course to any others — except in one instance ; an unfor- 
tunate lame girl, fearing to be in the way of Majesty, 
attempted to run from her presence, but fell in the act. 
The Queen sprang towards the child, raised her up from 
the floor, pressed a kiss upon her pale cheek, spake a word 
of kindness to the child, and thus relieved her of her fears. 
Near the centre of the Transept is a finely wrought 
piece of statuary, representing the Murder of the Inno- 
32 



374 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

cents. The principal figure, large as life, is a fiendish 
looking man, perfectly naked, standing upright, with his 
left hand grasping the leg of a naked child at its ankle, 
and holding it out before his own savage eyes. Its head 
hangs down perpendicularly, its mouth is open and awry 
with screaming, and its eyes are wild in tears. The 
heartless murderer holds a pointed glistening steel dagger 
in his right hand, which is raised and about to be plunged 
into the naked body of the innocent in his power. A 
female figure — the mother — has fallen upon one knee 
before the monster, her face delineating the highest agony 
of fear ; her right hand has hold of her infant's arm which 
drops below its hanging head, and her left is raised as if 
to prevent or receive the coming thrust at her sweet child. 
The whole group is well executed, and affords a scene of 
terror. 

Not far from this is a statue of the Queen on horse- 
back. The horse is designed to represent her favorite 
one, and her awn likeness upon him is as good as any we 
generally see. Opposite this, on the other side of the 
Crystal Fountain is a like statue of Prince Albert mounted 
on his Arabian steed. 

One of the prettiest specimens of statuary which we 
notice, is a child driving a hoop. We almost think we can 
see the little fellow run. Another statue, however, near 
by, is about as pretty — a child at prayer ; the way his 
little hands and eyes are raised to heaven, and the inno- 
cent and hopeful expression there is in his face, make us 
feel to sympathize with his earnest and simple devotions. 

Eve is represented in different aspects. Once she stands 
just as she came forth from the hands of her Maker — 
without guilt — without a sense of shame — pure and 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 375 

beautiful. At another time, we find her asleep — a full 
marble figure — and the Arch Deceiver hovering over her 
and whispering into her ear those dreams of pleasure 
which, awake, would lead her to taste of the forbidden 
fruit. Satan, too, is again represented as in supernatural 
conflict with the Archangel Gabriel. In holy triumph 
the Angel treads upon his neck, whilst a terrible but 
powerless rage bursts from Satan's fiendish eyes. It is 
Milton's idea brought out in marble. These are amongst 
the finest specimens of art in the world. 

See jou that marble figure, in perfection, of a boy strut- 
ting along with a drum by his side , who, in the ardor of 
his military zeal, has plied his sticks so powerfully as to 
have broken in the head of his drum ! The little fellow 
has suddenly halted in a strange surprise, and his counte- 
nance depicts the most woful grief. I have before heard 
of statues weeping, but never believed the fact till behold- 
ing this exquisite effort of comic art. 

An Amazon on horseback attacked by a tiger, is one of 
the most beautiful specimens of statuary in the Exhibi- 
tion. It is in zinc, bronzed. So purely original is the 
form of the Amazon, so certain her position, and so spirited 
is her action in hurling her javelin at the tiger, clinging 
with deadly grasp to the flanks of the horse she strides, 
that hardly any thing can be compared to it in the whole 
range of modern sculpture. Her person developes one 
of the most beautiful forms of the Amazons, and it is 
almost entirely unencumbered with drapery. The terrible 
spring of the tiger, and consequent shock of the horse, 
are depicted with such life-like perfection, that one almost 
expects the blow which is to terminate the struggle ; and 
in the undaunted eye of the heroine is read the certainty 



876 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

of the stroke that is to penetrate the brain of the monster 
and hurl him hfeless to the ground. 

But we have walked as long as we can afford amongst 
the statuary of the Palace. Let us ascend one of the 
galleries. 

The floors of the galleries embrace about four acres. 
These floors have, occasionally, square openings in them, 
very large, with latticed raihngs and fronts finished like 
the main gallery walls, through which visitors below may 
look up into the gallery saloons, or those above may look 
down amongst the moving throngs on the lower floor. 
There are three stories of these galleries. All are en- 
lightened by the glass sides of the edifice. In some cases 
the glass is colored, red, or blue, or yellow, or purple, &c. 
so as to throw stained streams of light, in happy rainbow 
contrasts upon certain stalls or articles in the Exhibition 
— thus producing a most pleasing effect. The four acres 
of gallery floors, which we have mentioned, are indepen- 
dent of the square openings alluded to. In some of those 
openings, flights of mahogany stairs descend to the main 
floor below, or to a gallery above. 

The first thing that arrests our attention in the North 
Central Gallery, is a Voting Machine, designed to pre- 
vent fraud in the exercise of the elective franchise — a 
machine that might be an acquisition in all our town 
meetings. It is constructed by a Mr. Chamberlain, an 
Englishman. 

It consists of a model ballot-box which has several 
knobs in front, that are labelled with the names of the 
different candidates in nomination. On the inside, next 
to where the receiving officers or polling clerks stand, it 
has a bell and a corresponding number of dials, unseen ; 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 377 

and one larger one showing the " Total votes recorded." 
The voter enters a turn-stile, which, as he moves it on 
entering, adjusts the machinery, so that when he pulls a 
knob, a mark is made on the unseen dial which records the 
vote against the candidate's name voted for, and another 
on the larger open dial which exposes the total number 
that his vote makes. There is a " Nobody" knob, which 
a man may touch if he wishes to scatter his vote, and 
help nobody. This also is recorded. He cannot vote 
twice, because the machinery is not adjusted for a second 
ballot, till a new voter turns and enters the turnstile. In 
this way all double voting is precluded. It need not be 
seen or known whom the citizen votes for. The presiding 
officer knows every moment just how many votes are 
polled, and at the close, by raising the lid, the whole 
story is recorded on the dials and told at first sight 
without mistake and without counting. The machine 
appears quite simple, and efficient, and arrested much 
attention in the gallery. 

Near this is the Copying Electric Telegraph, placed 
there by a Mr. Bakeweil. It exhibits one of the most sur- 
prising and useful results of the appUcation of electricity 
to the purpose of common writing. The writing is by 
"white letters on a blue ground. The message to be for- 
warded is written on tin-foil, with varnish. This writing 
is fixed to a revolving cylinder, which is connected with 
the conducting wire. At the station where the message 
is to be received, a piece of paper, saturated with a cer- 
tain chemical solution, is fixed to a similar cylinder. As 
soon as the electric current is put in motion, the contact 
is broken always as the point passes over the writing, the 
varnish being a non-conductor. As long as the current 
32* 



378 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

is unbroken, the receiving-paper is being changed to a 
blue color, the writing at the same time, becoming visible 
and is formed of a number of small and intimately con- 
nected square white spots. This Telegraph transmits 
copies of the hand-writing of correspondents so exactly, 
that their signatures may be identified. This is copied 
at the rate of 130 letters per minute. The writing is 
not, indeed, as clear as in ordinary penmanship, but it 
is sufficiently distinct for all useful purposes, and is 
as distinctly legible as copies of letters generally made 
by copying machines in counting houses. The writing is 
clearest when the paper is first taken from the machine. 
Mr. Bakewell will have to improve his chemical solutions 
so as to make the record more permanent. 

Amongst the toys of one of the German States, we 
notice many figures of men and women, old and young, 
and of boys and girls in groups, looking like miniature 
life, and so placed in connexion with an Electric Telegraph, 
that they are made to jump and dance, and laugh and cry 
and otherwise distort their faces ; and it seems difficult to 
understand how they w^ere not all actually alive and 
self-moved. As a little show, it is worth halting half an 
hour to witness. The Germans are the greatest toy- 
makers in the world, and very much of their matters in 
the Exhibition are adapted to the fancy of children, old 
and young. 

Hand-labor cheaper than machine-labor. In this gal- 
lery is a specimen of ladies' handiwork, which is designed 
to show, that on some matters, at least, labor-saving ma • 
chines have not the advantage over human hands in the 
cheapness of production. It is a large and beautiful car- 
pet presented to the Queen, and by her sent into the 



WALKS IN THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 379 

Palace, and hung up in the gallery for exhibition. The 
carpet is thirty feet long by twenty feet wide, executed in 
Berlin wool. It is the production of the leisure hours of a 
number of ladies, and is a good specimen of their industry 
and taste, rivalling the finest productions of European 
looms. Each lady, upon the payment of a guinea, had 
the material, and a square of two feet, sent her for execu- 
tion. The square is composed of three hundred and forty 
stitches on each side. After completion, the squares were 
returned, and fitted together as a whole. Its cost was 
X800 ; but if worked by the loom, it could not have been 
sold for less than £1000. Her Majesty was so well pleased 
that the hands of females could thus be more profitably 
employed than looms, that she insisted on having it carried 
to the Crystal Palace, and exhibited as a token of the 
triumphs of her own sex. 

The Duke of Northumberland, last Spring, ofiered a 
reward of $100 to the inventor of the best Life-Boat. 
This brought a large number into the Crystal Palace, sev- 
eral of which are exhibited in the western gallery. Amongst 
these, we notice one presented by Mr. Light, of London. 
The object of this invention is to render ordinary ships' 
boats so buoyant, that they become Life-Boats, and are 
capable of saving the passengers and crew under almost 
any circumstance. The material employed is extremely 
buoyant, and is rendered impervious to water or moisture. 
By filling the spaces between the timbers with this mate- 
rial, and then covering the whole with a thin lining of 
boards, a boat is rendered so buoyant, that, even when 
overloaded with passengers, should the seas break over it, 
there would be no danger of its sinking. Or, should the 
bottom be stove in, the frame would float and act as a 



380 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

raft, which the material, from its tenacity and fibrous na 
ture, would hold together. The process, it is said, can 
also be applied w^th advantage to the bulwarks, and be- 
tween the timbers and ceilings of ships ; and it must be 
evident, that in the event of their going to pieces, each 
portion would, from its own power of floatation, become a 
life-buoy. It is also said, that the material can be adapted 
to any bulk, in any form, and to any part of the ship or 
boat usually left vacant ; and, consequently, that it will 
not diminish the space for stowing the cargo, and that the 
mattresses, couches, seats, and all the furniture, can be 
made the means of saving life in the time of shipwreck. 
It may also be applied to jackets, belts, life-buoys of all 
kinds, and for floats for fishermen. The life-belts can be 
adjusted in ten seconds, and are incapable of being injured 
by weather or climate. 

There was enough in the Palace worth studying. The 
whole world will derive essential benefit from the new 
inventions and improvements brought here for the different 
nations of the earth to profit from. We have not time 
or room, in this work, for further Walks in the Crystal 
Palace. 



LETTER XXXVIII. 

A SCENE NEAR THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 

View of the Lake — A miniature Man-of-War — The Queen and her Son 
coming down from the Crystal Palace — The Embarkation and Sail de- 
scribed. 

LoNDOK, August 18, 1851. 
My Letters, hitherto, have contained descriptions &c. 
for adult readers ; I must write something for the bojs 
— good ones — for many such, I trust, are amongst our 
reading friends. It is unnecessary now to describe the 
three hundred and sixty acres of Hyde Park, on which 
the Crystal Palace is erected, or to speak further of the 
external appearance of this immense and brilliant edifice. 
But suppose yourself to be standing near its east end. 
Just now, cast your eye to the right and look through the 
arching trees and over the verdant lawns to a lake of pure 
water, called the Serpentine, that is long and narrow like 
a river, running parallel with the Glass Palace. It is an 
artificial pond, perhaps two miles long by a fourth of a 
mile wide. It is deep water. The beach is covered with 
pebbles of flint. Trees grow upon the shores and shade 
the margin of the lake. Under these trees are circular 
seats, and long movable benches and settees. Occasionally 
there are green-houses, arbors and flower gardens. Boat- 
houses, also, project over the water ; and pretty wharves 



382 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

are built out from the shores, at which lie fancy boats 
with sails, or oarsmen in row-boats, beckoning jou to step 
on board and take a trip on the placid Serpentine. The 
fare is sixpence. Nothing can be gayer or more cheerful 
than this water-scene. 

Let us proceed to the shore, and look out upon the 
lake. Swans, and geese, and ducks are resting upon its 
bosom, single or in flocks, and the gentle deer stand half 
leg deep in water, lapping the element, and cooling them- 
selves in the refreshing water breeze. All over the lake 
are light and fanciful water crafts, some moved by steam, 
some by wind, some by oars, carrying passengers and 
parties on excursion to various parts of the lake — such 
as the distant bridges which cross it, to the Kensington 
Gardens, the Queen's Charity Hospital, &c. 

But what is that object moored yonder in the centre of 
the lake ? It is a veritable ship — a man-of-war — or 
rather, as we should say, a boy-of-war. She may be 
about twenty tons in size, — just large enough for the 
commission of the young midshipman who commands 
her. She is indeed named for him, — '''•the Prince of 
Wales'^ — the Queen's eldest son, England's king that 
is to be, now ten years old. He is already a mid- 
shipman in the Navy, and designs to follow a nautical 
life as did his great-uncle, the late King William IV. In 
this miniature frigate he begins his professional education. 
The ship is a three-decker, each deck is mounted with 
brass cannon corresponding in calibre to the size of the 
boy-of-war. She is fully rigged and equipped, and her 
sides shine like polished ebony. From her mizen peak 
streams the royal ensign of the British crown ; and her 
white sails are bent ready for sea. She is fully manned 



A SCENE NEAR THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 383 

by sailors and marines in uniform, — all of the young 
Prince's own age and size, ten years old — and her decks 
seem alive with blue coats, red vests, yellow epaulettes, 
and black plumes. 

But hark ! Heard you the boatswain's whistle ? — 
and now the sound of those bugles, and the roll of the 
drum ? And what means that gun just discharged from 
the weather bow of the ship ? There is a commotion 
even amongst the people on shore, and thousands appear 
to be hurrying to the borders of the lake. Let us get a 
good position by this canopied wharf, and see what is 
coming. 

A beautiful little barge or yacht, is let down from 
the ship. The seats are all cushioned with red silk velvet, 
and a white satin canopy, with the Royal Coat-of-Arms 
painted upon it, covers the stern of the boat. Twelve 
young and nimble oarsmen, clad in uniform, six on a side, 
take their positions at the thowl. A miniature officer sits 
at the helm and gives command, and the silver mounted 
oars dip the silvery surface of the lake, keeping time 
with wonderful exactness. The barge is making direct 
for the royal wharf, near which we have taken our seat. 

Now turn and look behind you, towards the Glass 
Palace. Ready policemen have cleared a wide passage- 
way amidst the thousands of people that cover this part 
of the Park. The private door, on the Palace side, 
opens, and a mother and her little son, holding each 
other by the hand, are advancing towards the barge. It 
is Queen Victoria and her boy, the Prince of Wales. 
They both bow to the people as they pass ; and by the 
time they have reached the carpeted wharf, and halted 



384 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

■under the canopy that shields it from the eun's rays, the 
little Jack tars on board the yacht have brought the 
pretty craft along-side the marble steps. They uncover 
their heads, and the young midshipman, taking the hand 
of his mother, conducts her to the stern where both are 
seated together under the satin canopy of the barge. 
All being ready, the command is given, and the young 
oarsmen together dip the crystal waters of the mirror-like 
surface of the lake ; the thousands and tens of thousands 
that line the shores shout a full toned English hurrah ! 
the Queen bows and smiles, the young Prince waves his 
hand, and the barge proceeds with stately slowness 
towards the ship. Meanwhile her yards are manned, and 
the flags of all nations are strung upon the rigging. A 
second cannon from the ship's prow announces the 
arrival of Her Majesty, and the band on board strike up 
the National Anthem — " God save the Queen ! " Velvet 
steps with gilded railings are let down the side of the 
ship to the barge, on which the Queen and her son, who 
owns the ship and manages it as his nautical toy, ascend 
to the upper deck, on reaching which the manned yards 
send forth their juvenile " hurrahs !" that echo over the 
lake. 

And now you hear the boatswain's whistle again, and 
the " Yo ! heave ! " of the young sailors, as they spring 
at the capstain and weigh anchor. The boys in the 
rigging too, are unfurling the sails. In a few minutes 
every rag of canvas is spread, and the ship is put und r 
way, beating against the wind, first making a tack towards 
the wharf where we sit, and then standing off towards 
the opposite shore. The band plays the sweetest music 
all the while, and the young midshipman sails his ship the 



A SCENE NEAR THE CRYSTAL PALACE. 385 

rest of the afternoon in a manner to display the best 
nautical skill of which he is capable. 

The sight is certainly a very pleasant one, and the 
Queen and her Princely boy enjoy as much in being seen, 
as do the assembled nations, gathered about the shores in 
beholding the Majesty of England sporting herself on the 
crystal bosom of the silvery lake, with the young heir- 
apparent to the throne. 

It is not every boy in America that can have such a 
play-thing as I have described ; but it is not those who 
are most indulged and pampered in youth, that make the 
hardiest and most useful men. The republican elements 
of royalty are the elements of a good character^ and this 
— boys ! — will make you more than princes and kmgs 
in the sight of God and good men. 

" Honor and shame from no condition rise; 
Act well your part — there all the honor lies." 

33 



LETTER XXXIX. 

OLD BRENTFORD AND THE KEW GARDENS. 

Kew, the Residence of George III. — Ride to Brentford — Great Nurseries 
-— Alderney Cows— Duke of Northumberland's "Sion House" — Cross- 
ing the Thames— Basket Willows cultivated— The Royal Mansion — 
Queen Elizabeth's Elm— Kew Green— King of Hanover, and his Brother 
— the Manor — Lodges — Pagoda — Gardens — Specimens of Royalty — Re- 
turn to London, 

Kew, August 21, 1851. 

Kew is not a citj — not a village, but a royal estate, 
consisting of some thousand or more acres of parks, and 
lawns, and cultivated farming grounds and gardens, about 
a dozen miles above London, on the Thames. It was the 
favorite residence of old King George III., whose crown 
lost its thirteen American jewels, when the rebel Wash- 
ington warred for Independence. Most of his large family 
of children were born here. It is one of the most magnifi- 
cent seats in England, but is now occupied only by some 
of the distant relatives of the family. 

I came hither, this morning, from St. Paul's church 
yard, in which, hard upon Paternoster Row, is the stand 
for lines of omnibuses, which run to Old Brentford. 
Whilst waiting for the next 'Bus to start — half an hour 
— I busied myself in examining the statue of Queen Anne 
which stands in the yard in front of the Cathedral, and 
walking amongst the arches of the grand vestibule of the 
edifice. In reviewing some of the monuments and statu- 
ary at my leisure, I was more interested than at some 
former visits to the Cathedral, and was specially struck 



OLD BRENTFORD AND THE KEW GARDENS. 387 

with the satin-like appearance of the drapery on all the 
statues of Statesmen, Warriors, Scholars, and Philan- 
thropists, gathered in mute companionship there. 

Gathering new recruits, as the 'Bus passed through the 
Strand, Pall Mall, and Piccadilly, it was full to overflow- 
ing inside and out by the time we reached the Fulham 
Road that leads up river. My seat was with the driver, 
that I might take a better view of the country. Leaving 
London, we passed through Fulham, Brampton, Hammer- 
smith, and Chiswick to Brentford. The ride amongst the 
suburban residences of the nobility and gentry of the 
Great Metropohs was delightful indeed. There are, also, 
many fine nurseries and elegant gardens on the way. In 
Brentford, I visited Reynold's Nursery, the largest in the 
world. The owner died recently, and the contents of the 
Nursery will be sold at auction this Fall. I also visited 
the stock farm of Mr. Wilmot, who has the real Alderney 
cows for sale. If the moon changes right next Spring, I 
hope to receive a couple of them. A friend in Brentford, 
Mr. Charles Wild, who has relatives living in Hallowell 
and Augusta, has been very kind and attentive to me. 
Anticipating my arrival, he has obtained for me an invita- 
tion to visit the splendid residence of the Duke of 
Northumberland, and his Home Farm. He owns five 
hundred farms in the country. They, probably, produce 
as much, and feed as many people as if they were owned 
by five hundred people. 

Mr. Wild accompanied me to the shore of the Thames, 
which we crossed in a ferry-boat, passing the foot of a long 
island, containing several acres, as full of young willow 
sprouts of this year's growth, as ever a marsh was of 
rushes. These osiers are cultivated for basket stuff. The 



S88 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

shore on the side opposite Brentford is in Kew, and rises 
to an intervale of rich alluvial soil. The seat of King 
George is on this intervale, which rises, as the land re- 
cedes from the river, and forms many hundred "acres of 
gentle hills and spreading dales, cultivated as tastefully as 
a monarch's means might command. The mansion of the 
old king is a huge hrick edifice, with wings and battle- 
ments, some three hundred rods below the ferry, and on 
the right side of the road that runs down river. In ap- 
proaching it, I noticed near the river the stump of a great 
elm, planted by Queen Elizabeth in her childhood. This 
was her birth-place and home during her reign, three hun- 
dred years ago. The stump is fenced by circular palings, 
and is carefully preserved. The grounds around the 
royal mansion are enclosed, and are beautiful. The walk 
from it, by Elizabeth's Elm, up to the ferry, was the fa- 
vorite one of King George III. Often was he seen walk- 
ing thus on the banks of the river, a portly old gentleman 
in small clothes, wearing a long queue that hung down his 
Majesty's back. They tell some comical anecdotes of his 
being hailed whilst on these walks by watermen passing on 
the river. Kew Green is further down the river, adjoin- 
ing the royal mansion. It is a great square, on the river 
side of which is the venerable residence of the King of 
Hanover, a son of George III., and a base monarch ; and 
on the opposite, the Duke of Cambridge, opposite in every 
respect, — a very worthy and beloved man, whilst living, 
though he was a brother of the Hanoverian King. On the 
Green is the royal chapel, — an antique building, and 
a burying-ground with tombs and monuments. 

The celebrated Kew Gardens — the best in the king- 
dom — are half a mile in rear of the old king's mansion, 



OLD BRENTFORD AND THE KEW GARDENS. 389 

in passing to which, we went through sylvan groves and 
cultivated fields, of vast extent, at our right and left. Be- 
yond the gardens, in various directions, amongst forests, 
are to be seen little temples and lodges, of exquisite taste, 
in which visitors may rest and refresh themselves. Still 
further on, an octagonal building of ten stories, each story 
with projecting eaves, rises above the trees, like a grand 
tower. This is the Pagoda, and was built by George IV. 
Near this, is a thatched harem, kept for his unmarried 
wives. It was enclosed by a tight fence, through which 
no visitor could enter. 

The gardens embrace many acres, laid out with much 
taste, and cultivated in perfection. 

The Great Conservatory is the largest in the world. It 
is cruciform in shape, and entirely of the best glass blown 
into pattern shapes. It was constructed by Paxton, the 
royal gardener at Kew, whose brother, the gardener at 
Chiswick, constructed the Crystal Palace in London after 
that model. But the Kew Palace is more of a " crystal " 
one, and though not so large, is very much handsomer than 
the great London one It has samples of all sorts of veg- 
etation in it, from every climate — from the palm trees 
and bananas to the lowly nettles. Here, in an artificial 
pond, is a Victoria lily, such as is in Regent's Park 
Garden. 

Whilst at the Conservatory, I had a full view of royalty. 
A state carriage drove up, having a Croivn upon the panel 
of each side door. A herald, mounted on a single horse, 
clad in livery, led the van. Another, richly dressed, sat 
upon the rear horse of the large and glossy span of white 
steeds that drew the carriage, the body of which was net- 
work of rattan. Behkid, stood a footman Jn gold epau- 
33^ 



890 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

lettes. Word was given, that the Royal Family had ar- 
rived ; and Mr. Wild and I hastened to that side of the 
building where they were to alight. The carriage drove 
up to the steps, and the back and front parts of the top 
being thrown partially down, exposed two old ladies on the 
rear seats, and three young ones on the forward one. 
They were the Duchess of Gloucester — sister of the late 
Kings George IV., and WilHam IV., and daughter of 
George III. ; the Duchess of Cambridge, widow of the late 
Duke of Cambridge, brother of the late kings ; the Prin- 
cess Mary, cousin of Victoria, and two other Princesses, 
whose names I did not learn. On alighting, the word was 
given to the crowd that had rushed out of the Conservatory 
to get a view of Royalty — "off hats ! " an order which 
all the English subjects present doubtless obeyed. I 
wanted my hat on my head at that time. As they passed 
along the building to enter it at the south end, I stepped 
in again at the side door, and were in readiness to have 
them pass me as they should come down my way. I was 
examining an India Rubber tree as they approached my 
royal presence ; and as no other person dared to stand so 
near monarchy, I happened to be the only one that they 
could make inquiries of. The Princess Mary, noticing the 
label upon the tree, gently requested me to explain the 
process by which the gum was obtained from the tree. I 
did so as readily as I should have done to any other gen- 
teel maiden. She is about twenty-five years old — not 
very handsome. She wore a white satin bonnet and 
dress, with a light, pink visite, descending low, in a plain 
sheet of richest satin fabric. I looked upon the old 
Duchess of Gloucester with some curiosity, for I remem- 
bered that it was with her father that America had two 



OLD BRENTFORD AND THE KEW GARDENS. 391 

wars. She and the Duchess of Cambridge are true English 
women — fat, hale, and consequential. Wine, beer, and 
beef, have a characteristic effect upon English bodies. 

P. S. My visit at Kew was a deUghtful one. Whilst 
there, I made arrangements with a gentleman for corres- 
pondence, after mj return home, on subjects of English 
Agriculture. I returned to London, passing the magnifi- 
cent residence of the late Lord Holland, where Fox and 
Canning died. It is some ways in from the road, and 
the grounds, in part, are shaded with long rows of gigan- 
tic oaks and elms. Our carriage reached the Crystal Pal- 
ace just as the Exhibition closed for the day. The omni- 
buses and coaches in the streets, by the side of the Palace, 
which were there to convey the sixty thousand visitors to 
various parts of the city, were beyond what I had ever 
seen before, in point of numbers. For miles, the streets 
were literally black with them, and they could only move 
like men borne along in a crowd. 

The carriages moved slowly, only in a line, and that 
under the prompt directions of the army of policemen, who 
are everywhere in London. 



LETTER XL. 

RIDE FROM LONDON TO LIVERPOOL. 

Leaving London — Euston Square Station — Great Crowd of Passengers — 
Miserable Regulations — Plunging into a Tunnel — Fertility of the Coun- 
try — Heavy Crops — Harvest Work — Appearance of the Fields — Hedge 
Fences— Mansions, Castles, Parks, and Hunting Grounds — Country not 
thickly settled— Arrival in Liverpool. 

Liverpool, August 25, 1851. 
The distance from London to Liverpool, through Bir- 
mingham and Manchester, is over two hundred miles. 
On the morning of Friday last, I bade my host adieu, and 
with bag and baggage, {^Eng.^ " luggage,") repaired to 
the Great Western Station on Euston Square, and en- 
tered the passenger's hall, which is of immense size, and 
most elegantly finished. Such was the rush of people 
assembled to take trains for different parts of the kingdom, 
that it was a full hour before the current of flesh had 
borne us as far as the office, where we could procure 
tickets for Liverpool. At last I emerged from the jammed 
hall to the train, and succeeded in crowding into a car. 
The train consisted of twenty-four cars, with seven hun- 
dred people locked into them. There is no baggage car, 
but trunks, &c., are thrown on top of the passenger cars, 
exposed to thieves, fire, and rain. No checks are given ; 
all is at the passengers' own risk. I left at 7i A. M. 



RIDE FROM LONDON TO LIVERPOOL. 393 

Shortly after I left the city, and began to enjoy the beau- 
tiful sights of English farming, the train plunged into a 
tunnel three fourths of a mile long. The darkness was 
Egyptian. I never saw anything so black. Eyes were 
useless. The air was close. Two other similar tunnels 
— one longer — were passed, before reaching Liverpool. 

The road passes through but few cities or villages. 
Generally we were in a fertile and beautifully cultivated 
agricultural region. English husbandry is perfect. It 
was in the midst of the corn harvest, though no " corn " 
grows in England.. The wheat, rye, barley, oats, peas, 
horse beans, buckwheat, hops, flax, turnips, cabbages, &c., 
appeared excellent. Some fields were harvested, and the 
grain put in horn-shaped ricks ; on others, merry men and 
women were plying the sickles, and binding the sheaves ; 
others were yet untouched. I saw the beauty of English 
rural life, that has made the poets sing the joys of " har- 
vest home." I never witnessed crops so large in Amer- 
ica. The golden fields of grain extended over gently un- 
dulating lands, as far as the eye could reach. 

The mown grass fields were now red and fragrant with 
second-crop clover, and even the pastures were as fresh 
as our grass lands in June. There were no russet or dead 
patches in any of them. The cattle grazing were chiefly 
Durham Short Horns. All the fences were live ones — 
hawthorn hedges, not always very well trimmed. Occa- 
sionally tall trees grew up on the lines of old hedges, and 
then appearing to gain in number by lines of distance, 
give a show of shade and forest. There are no woodlands, 
excepting the parks of great landlords. Some of these 
are most wildly cultivated. We passed, in course of the 
afternoon, Shagborough Park and Farm, owned by the 



394 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Earl of Litchfield. In his extensive hunting grounds, we 
noticed hares and deer skipping over cliffs, and amongst 
the bushes. 

The country between London and Liverpool is far from 
being as thickly settled as the rural districts of New Eng- 
land. Occasionally, in the distance, you see mansions or 
castles ; but none of the fifty or hundred acre farms and 
neat cottages owned by the independent occupants, that 
are to be seen on all our leading Kennebec valley roads. 

The freedom from frost, which never is so severe as to 
kill grass, and the humidity of the atmosphere, keep the 
rural districts of England always green and beautiful. 
Farming here is more systematic than with us, and has 
more reference to long years ahead. For these and other 
reasons, English farmers make sure of larger crops than 
we can yet average. 

I reached Liverpool at 9 P. M., and was taken di- 
rectly to the London Hotel, on Union Street. Glad was 
I to retire to bed, the sheets of which I found to be 
literally in rags ; but everything was clean, the air was 
sweet, and sleep renewed my strength for making obser- 
vations about the city next day. 



LETTEE XLI 

LIVERPOOL. 



A passage engaged— Pecuniary standard of honesty— Liverpool small, 
compared with London — Lever-pool — Docks — American Sailors — St. 
James' Cemetery — Public Edifices — Nelson's Monument — Commerce 
and Revenue — Cheshire Co. — Beggary and Filth — Sunday — Mrs. 
Hemans' Residence — Her love of the Sea. 



Liverpool, August 29, 1851. 

I HAVE been in Liverpool nearly a week, and to-day am 
on board the packet ship " Daniel Webster," having taken 
passage for Boston. The ship lies at anchor, a gale of 
•wind blowing dead ahead, in the Mersey, having hauled 
out of Waterloo Dock three days ago. She has seven 
hundred and forty one human beings on board, including 
over six hundred Irish emigrants in the steerage — the 
largest number that ever entered Boston in one vessel. 
The surgeon. Dr. Philbrick, reports small pox on board ! 
and has just ordered a dozen infected and exposed ones on 
shore. The " Webster " registers 1,300 tons, and belongs 
to Train's line. 

English honesty, I find, has a standard quite pecuniary. 
Having left my portable writing desk in the omnibus that 
conveyed us on the night of our arrival from the station 
to the tavern, I set off the next morning to the office in 



396 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

pursuit of it. I succeeded in finding the driver and the 
desk, but could not be permitted to put mj hand upon it, 
till I had paid him an English shilling for not stealing it. 

If I had come from Boston to Liverpool, I should have 
thought this a large citj — it has between three and four 
hundred thousand inhabitants ; , but having entered it from 
London, there is a mighty falling off, both in extent, bus- 
tle, and magnificence. It is only about as large as New 
York. 

Before the Docks were built, the vessels were secured 
in a Pool that macie in from the River. There are several 
such Pools on the shores of the Mersey. This was the 
Lever-pool — in process of time the whole city became 
Liver-pool. The tide rises and falls twenty feet ; the current 
is very rapid and there can be no wharves on the shores. 
There is a marine wall of stone masonry three miles long, 
on low-water Unc, though which vessels enter the Dock by 
guard-gates. There are 112 acres of these Docks. It 
is the great European port for American ships. Here the 
lines of packets, mail steamers, and cotton ships, &c., 
from Maine to New Orleans, connect the business and in- 
tercourse of the two continents ; and there are so many 
American sailors and merchants in Liverpool, that their 
presence and habits give it the air of New York — yes, 
the air. The streets are \dle and filthy, and there are 
few parks or ornamental trees, except in the suburbs. 
The St. James' Cemetery, however, is a pretty place. It 
is a dell of considerable width cut out of solid rock, one 
side of which is fragrant with shrubbery and flowers, and 
the other consists of terraces having 105 catacombs or 
vaults hewn from the rock. The vale between is studded 



LIVERPOOL. 397 

with graves and ornamented with serpentine walks and 
shrubbery. 

The public edifices of Liverpool are highly creditable 
to the city. The Town Hall and Sailors' Home partic- 
ularly engaged my admiration. There is hardly any 
thing in London itself superior to the " Assize Courts and 
St. George's Hall." The Exchange is quadrangular. 
The Merchants' Reading Room in it, where I have spent my 
leisure hours, is the best I ever saw. In the centre of 
the open court is a monument of Nelson, in bronze. 
Britannia is seen placing a laurel crown on his brow, as 
he stands with one foot on a conquered foe, and the other 
resting on a cannon. Around the moulding of the pedes- 
tal are his dying words — " England expects evf^ry man to 
do Jds duty !^^ At the base are four human figures in 
chains, emblematical of his four greatest victories. The 
Custom House, also, is a splendid structure. The revenue 
collected here annually is about twenty-five millions of 
dollars. 

The river Mersey runs from South to North. Liverpool 
is on the east side, and the lights which illumine the three 
miles of Docks all night, give the city an appearance from 
our ship of the starry heavens let down and resting upon 
the shore. It is beautiful. On the west side is Cheshire 
County, a good agricultural district, and at the river's 
brink are the villages of Birkenhead, Leasowe, New 
Brighton, &c., connected with Liverpool by Steam Ferries. 
The rural scenery of the back ground is made beautiful 
by gentlemen's estates. 

I have seen more beggary and drunkenness here in one 
hour than I witnessed in London for nearly a month. 
34 



398 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

Mendicant boys in rags are always at your heels, and the 
number of vile women is terrible. Would you believe it ? 
— I have seen women scraping the manure from the street 
gutters with their naked hands, loading their baskets with 
the filth, and then beheld them put those baskets on their 
heads, the liquid parts dripping down their necks as 
they bore their precious load to the purchasers' quarters, 
to sell it for a penny ! 

Rev. J. Hemphill is a fellow-passenger. He came with 
myself and son from London. Last Sunday forenoon we 
s pent with Rev. Dr. Thom, in his Chapel on Bold street, 
and were very happy to form his acquaintance. He is a 
a great and good man. In the afternoon we went to Rev. 
J. Martineau's Church on Hope street, but there was no 
service. 

I cannot bid adieu to England and Liverpool, without re- 
membering that this was the country, and this the city that 
blessed our common world with that bright literary gem, 
Felicia Dorothea Brown, afterwards the wife of Captain 
Hemans, R. N. They had a son, by the way, educated 
in Bowdoin College. She was born in Duke street, 1794, 
and died whilst on a visit, for her health, to Dublin in 
1835. Mrs. Hemans spent most of her life at Waver- 
tree, a few miles below Liverpool, near the mouth of 
the Mersey and in view of the open sea which inspired 
some of her best Poems. It was here she composed those 
beautiful lines to the praise of our forefathers, who landed 
on the shores of Plymouth — 

The breaking waves dashed high, 
On- a stern and rock-bound coast, &c. 

As the curtains of the coming night will fall upon me, I 
shall take my last and farewell look of the Land from 



LIVERPOOL. 399 

whence my Forefathers came ; and I shall do it with my 
eyes resting upon the romantic residence of the lovely 
poetess of Wavertree. She loved the sea — and so do I. 
And as I go forth upon its heaving bosom, from the Old 
AYorld in hope of home in the New, I remember and will 
sing with her spirit the beautiful apostrophe of her own 
composing : — 

" Thou glorious Sea! more pleasing far 

When all thy waters are at rest, 
And noontide sun or midnight star 

Is shining on thy waveless breast. 
Yet is the very tempest dear 

"Whose mighty voice but tells of thee ; 
For wild or calm, or far or near, 

I love thee still — thou glorious sea ! ' 



LETTER XLIII. 

A STORM AT SEA. 

A FRIEND, very near to the writer of these Letters, 
•who accompanied him to England, went to France in his 
stead, and returned with him to a common home, has con- 
tributed from his journal the following description of a 
scene on our return passage, which, it is behoved, may 
impart a little variety with which to close this volume, and 
prove not altogether uninteresting as helping the reader 
to form some idea of a Storm at Sea. 



Our voyage to the shores of the Old World, though 
long, had been unusually pleasant, even for the summer 
season. Tne most delightful weather had favored us, and 
the beauty and novelty of the limitless sea had charmed 
us. We could hardly realize that we had crossed the 
broad Atlantic ; we had sailed three thousand miles as 
pleasantly and safely, as though our course had been 
across a summer lake instead of the wide and tumultuous 
ocean. 

Though we were glad to tread the solid earth once 
more, yet a month's travel and bustle upon the Island and 
on the Continent, had made us but love our home the 
better, and wish for the rest and quiet of sea-sailing again. 
Accordingly, in due season, we were once more housed 
upon the wide waters, far from either hemisphere. In the 



A STORM AT SEA. 



401 



centre of a circle, with a radius of twelve hundred miles, we 
were daily approaching that land, the separation from 
which, had made us only prize it the more. 

I felt that sea experience was incomplete without a 
storm, and had ever been strongly desirous to see a gale 
at sea, — to behold the waters whipped into madness by 
the fury of the winds. Perad venture, could I have fore- 
seen the reality, I should not have been so inconsiderate 
in my wishes. Man's fickle nature renders him unsatisfied 
even with an unbroken prosperity, and when in the bright 
sunny hours I wished for storm, I but betrayed the weak- 
ness of our common nature. My imagination had more 
than once wearied itself in vainly attempting to picture the 
gently heaving waters around me, lashed into commotion, 
and I hoped once in my life to witness the grandeur and 
terror of a troubled ocean. I was not to be disappointed. 

One fine sunny afternoon, as our noble ship was slowly 
moving homeward, with all sails set to a fair wind, the 
barometer which hung in the cabin, gave strong indica- 
tions of an approaching storm. The captain looked 
alarmed and gave quick orders to take in sail ; sheet after 
sheet was taken in and confined, and rapid preparations 
were made to put the ship in readiness for enduring a 
conflict with the elements. Those few sails which must be 
set to the wind, in order that the vessel may obey her 
helm, were reefed to their smallest possible compass. The 
little windows in the ship's side were closed, the dead- 
lights of the cabin put in, and the hatches battened down 
over the poor emigrants below. Still, not the slightest 
appearance of heavy weather was visible ; the sun shone 
as bright as ever, and the green waves all around us, curled 
and broke in each other's embrace, as gently and lovingly as 
34* 



402 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

before. The passengers were all on deck ; some lazily 
seated under the rail, sunning themselves ; others whiling 
away the tedious hours in sports, or laughing at the foolish 
barometer ; while others were standing in little squads 
about the deck, conversing upon that constant subject — 
the prospects of weather — or quietly watching the sailors 
busy at their work aloft. All this time the progress of 
the ship gradually diminished, till there was scarce wind 
sufficient to prevent the sails from striking against the 
masts. A dead calm succeeded. The sun, sinking into the 
western waters, was tinging the glossy surface of the sea 
with golden light, and the huge ship lay motionless upon 
the tranquil breast of ocean, ghstening in his beams. 

As the orb of day disappeared, the moon, " pale empress 
of the night," quietly ro'Se in a sky as clear as the crystal 
sea upon which she shone, and nothing as yet occurred, 
to uphold the barometer in its prophecies. " There it lies, 
right ahead," said Captain Howard. In an instant every 
eye was directed towards the quarter he had indicated. 
At first, nothing unusual could be discerned by our in- 
experienced eyes ; yet by a careful observation, for a short 
time, a faint mist was distinguished, lying stealthily close 
to the verge of the horizon. " There is wind for us tc- 
night. Haul tight the braces. I knew the old barometer 
wouldn't lie," quietly remarked the Captain, as he took 
the night glass, to enable him to mark the progress of his 
combatant. The mist grew in an incredibly short space of 
time, to a black and threatening cloud. The old sailors 
would occasionally lift an eye full of anxiety towards the 
clouds and then look aloft to be sure that all was fast and 
safe. Though these " sons of the sea " said nothing, a 
close observer could not fail to mark a restlessness upon 



A STORM AT SEA. 403 

their hardened and healthy faces. They felt that there 
was no sleep for them that night. In a short time, 
we were all amazed to behold far off, from our becalmed 
vessel, the waters leaping in white angry wreaths, seem- 
ing to break against the very heavens. 

On, on they came, like winged armies. Quick as 
thought, the ropes were hauled tighter, and the good old 
ship hauled round to meet them, like a courageous warrior, 
front first. The frightened passengers scampered below 
quicker than ever. Before one could speak, a gale in its 
whole fury and might was upon us ! Our noble barque, 
reeled and staggered like a drunken man, from the shock. 
Wave after wave swept and re-swept the deck, threat- 
ening to carry everything before it, while a huge moun- 
tain of angry waters, kept thumping away with tremend- 
ous force under the stern. All was terror and conster- 
nation. The baggage and boxes broke away from their 
fastenings, and commenced a rude review over the decks 
below. The passengers who were so fortunate as to 
possess them, buckled on their life preservers, though they 
could not have lived a moment in a sea so terrible ; while 
the poor Irish emigrants, stifled between decks, were 
busy supplicating the Virgin for their safety ; or, infuria- 
ted with fear, were endeavoring to get on deck and throw 
themselves overboard, rather than go down in a prison, 
as they must, should this iron-loaded ship founder. All 
night there was the utmost terror manifested on board, 
sometimes in screams, sometimes in a more expressive 
but agonizing silence. Everything without was fury, all 
within was fear. The scene defied description. While 
our good ship lay quietly at her moorings in the Mersey, 
it seemed impossible that the waves could injure or molest 



404 GLIMPSES AND GATHERINGS. 

her, she was so large and strong ; but on this dreadful 
night, she was jostled about, and shaken, like a reed 
before the tempest. In comparison to the waves of the 
boundless ocean around her, she was only an egg shell, 
driven by the wind on a mill-pond. Thanks to an all- 
wise Hand, we were spared from destruction, and permit- 
ted to see the sun rise upon a quieted sea. But what a 
change appeared in everything that met our eyes on ship- 
board. The sails were torn, spars broken, and the whole 
ship completely wet and swept by the waves ! The old 
sailors greeted us with a hearty " good morning" and 
a blessing, seeming to have forgotten their late labor and 
danger. 

" Tis pleasant by the cheerful hearth to hear 
Of tempests, and the dangers of the deep, 
And pause at times and feel that we are safe ; 
Then listen to the perilous tale again. 
And with an eager and suspended soul 
"Woo terror to delight us ! but to hear 
The roaring of the raging elements, 
To know all human skill, all human strength, 
Avail not ! to look around and only see 
The mountain wave incumbent with its weight 
Of bursting waters o'er the reeling bark, — 
O God ! this is indeed a di-eadful thing ! " 



f\F 6J3 



8 



